Gentry John K CHINOOK PL N31773

Summary

On 29 May 2009 at about 16:30 local time, a Gentry John K CHINOOK PL registered N31773 was involved in an accident near Bridgeport, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 May 2009 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Bridgeport, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Sears (None)

Coordinates

33.1719, -97.8236

Aircraft

Gentry John K CHINOOK PL

Registration

N31773

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bridgeport → Bridgeport

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09LA331

1 person died.

The flight instructor and pilot's decision to take off with known control deficiencies with the aircraft which resulted in a loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor said that when he arrived at the private pilot's private airstrip they both conducted a preflight inspection of the ultralight airplane. The instructor then proceeded to taxi up and down the runway before he departed on a short solo flight. During this flight, he performed basic turns and discovered that when a small amount of aileron input was applied he needed to apply a much larger input of rudder to maintain coordinated flight. After landing, the instructor informed the private pilot about the rudder/aileron relationship and that it would be too noisy for him to provide any instruction. The private pilot, who had never flown the ultralight before, still wanted to fly it around the airstrip and asked the instructor to go with him. The instructor agreed and they departed. The instructor said that when they were on downwind, the private pilot turned around and said something, but that he was unable to hear what the pilot said and that he then immediately saw a tree. Two witnesses reported seeing the airplane make a sharp left bank and nose over. One of the witnesses said the engine was running at the time. Examination of the ultralight revealed that it had sustained substantial damage to the airframe, wings and tail section. The fuel in the fuel tank had a foul odor, but the reason for the foul odor was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.