Arion LIGHTNING LS-1 N782MD

Summary

On 30 April 2012 at about 21:31 local time, a Arion LIGHTNING LS-1 registered N782MD, operated by Mark Daniels, was involved in an accident near Ghent, New York, United States. 2 people were 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

30 April 2012 at 21:31

Classification

Accident

Location

Ghent, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Kline Kill Airport (NY1)

Coordinates

42.3503, -73.6369

Aircraft

Arion LIGHTNING LS-1

Registration

N782MD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Mark Daniels

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ghent → Sussex

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12CA313

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's loss of directional control during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the airplane encountered a bump in the grass runway during the takeoff roll and lifted off the runway several knots slower than rotation speed. After liftoff, the airplane descended to the left side of the runway, impacted trees, and came to rest in a swampy area, resulting in substantial damage to the wings. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Postaccident examination of the runway found it to be in satisfactory condition, with no evidence of bumps.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.