Southerland FREEBIRD LITESPORT U N415US

Summary

On 2 December 2010 at about 20:06 local time, a Southerland FREEBIRD LITESPORT U registered N415US was involved in an accident near Decatur, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 December 2010 at 20:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Decatur, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Decatur Airport (DEC)

Coordinates

39.8353, -88.8403

Aircraft

Southerland FREEBIRD LITESPORT U

Registration

N415US

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Decatur → Decatur

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA090

1 person died.

The pilot's reported inability to control his amateur-built airplane for undetermined reasons after the airplane inadvertently became airborne while conducting a high-speed taxi.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a high-speed taxi in his amateur-built airplane when it inadvertently became airborne. The inadvertent flight was the airplane's first flight. The pilot requested a landing clearance and was given one. The pilot reported that he had trouble getting the airplane's nose down. He reported a MAYDAY and indicated that he had no control of the airplane. He was given a clearance to land on any runway. During his last transmission, the pilot reported that he could not keep the nose down. The airplane was observed descending tail-end down and then nose down. The airplane impacted the ground, coming to rest about two miles east of the airport. An on-scene examination of the airplane revealed that the wing separated from the fuselage. The separation was consistent with overload. No other anomalies were detected. The on-scene investigation did not document center of gravity or trim settings.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.