Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO N153TB

Summary

On 11 November 2012 at about 23:30 local time, a Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO registered N153TB, operated by Plus One Flyers, was involved in an accident near Carlsbad, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 November 2012 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Carlsbad, California, United States

Nearest airport

McClellan-Palomar (CRQ)

Coordinates

33.1283, -117.2800

Aircraft

Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P2004 BRAVO

Registration

N153TB

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Plus One Flyers

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carlsbad → Carlsbad

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR13CA039

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion and collision with parked aircraft. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the airplane make/model.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot intended to practice touch-and-go landings on a runway nearly aligned with the reported 9-knot wind, in clear weather conditions. He noted no mention of any wind gusts in the airport’s automatic terminal information service weather information before he took off. However, the pilot noticed light turbulence during the right crosswind and downwind legs in the traffic pattern. After a short approach and a smooth landing, he applied power, achieved rotation speed, and lifted off again. However, when the airplane was only a few feet off the ground, the wind started to blow it left of the center line. Although the pilot applied full rudder and aileron deflection to counter the crosswind, the airplane continued to track toward the side of the runway and was not climbing at a rate that would clear parked aircraft. The pilot aborted the takeoff, and the airplane subsequently collided with the tail of a parked helicopter, spun a few degrees clockwise, and came to rest on its left wing, which sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he had flown about 3 hours in the accident airplane, which was a light sport airplane. He believed that because of the airplane’s relatively light weight, it was more susceptible to crosswind and turbulence than other airplanes he had flown. He also noted that the controls were configured significantly different than any of the other airplanes he had flown. His previous flights took place in calm air, and the pilot thought that his time in the accident airplane was insufficient to instill the reflexive familiarity necessary to control the airplane during the accident takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.