Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA14FA337
CULVER LFA — Limington, ME
| Date | July 12, 2014 |
| Location | Limington, ME |
| Aircraft | CULVER LFA |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 52 |
| Pilot total time | 5,995 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 23 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
According to witnesses, the airplane departed in a slow, nose-high attitude takeoff from the runway. The handheld GPS recorded that airplane was slow and climbed about 135 feet over the runway before stalling to the left about 2,200 feet down the 2,973-foot runway. One witness stated the engine noise sounded normal while two other witnesses reported a momentary sputter of engine noise, followed by a return to power. The engine noise then seemed normal for 5 to 10 seconds before the sound of impact. All three witnesses concurred that the airplane seemed lower than it should have been during the takeoff. Examination of the wreckage revealed that adequate fuel was onboard and that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Additionally, although the carburetor was susceptible to serious icing at glide power for the given temperature and dewpoint, the engine would have been set to full power for takeoff; thus, carburetor icing was unlikely. A teardown examination of the engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or fuel contamination. The engine had accumulated about 115 hours of operation since its most recent overhaul, which was completed about 35 years before the accident.