Terminella GLASAIR II RG N96L

Summary

On 24 June 2001 at about 18:00 local time, a Terminella GLASAIR II RG registered N96L was involved in an accident near Bolivar, Missouri, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 June 2001 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Bolivar, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Bolivar Municipal Airport (M17)

Coordinates

37.5998, -93.4109

Aircraft

Terminella GLASAIR II RG

Registration

N96L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bolivar → Trenton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI01LA190

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot not maintaining aircraft control during the initial climb after takeoff. A factor to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the airplane over the kit manufacture's recommended maximum gross weight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During the initial climb after takeoff, the airplane entered an uncommanded left roll and impacted the terrain. A witness reported, "The airplane was about 50 feet off the ground and rolling to the left at a fairly fast rate. I believe the roll had already begun when I first saw the airplane. The roll continued to an inverted attitude and possibly past inverted. The airplane crashed immediately into he grass on the east side of the runway. I saw dirt and grass fly into the air, but there was no fire or smoke." According to a statement provided by the pilot's lawyer, "During the takeoff climb, before the gear were to be retracted, without warning, the aircraft entered an uncommanded roll to the left and impacted the ground on the west side of Runway 18, facing north." No anomalies were found with the airframe, the flight control systems, or the aircraft engine that could be associated with any pre-impact condition. The aircraft's weight was calculated to be approximately 115 lbs over the kit manufacturer's recommended maximum gross weight at the beginning of the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.