Great Lakes 2T1A N3512L

Summary

On 2 November 2017 at about 18:00 local time, a Great Lakes 2T1A registered N3512L was involved in an accident near Montague, Massachusetts, 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

2 November 2017 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Montague, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Turners Falls Airport (0B5)

Coordinates

42.5942, -72.5247

Aircraft

Great Lakes 2T1A

Registration

N3512L

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montague → Orange

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA023

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the attempted 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

The private pilot was initiating takeoff for the positioning flight with no winds and with the airplane's tail off the runway when the airplane suddenly veered left, which he could not correct. The airplane exited the left side of the runway and then slid down a sharp incline into a ditch and nosed over. Postaccident examination of the runway revealed skid marks made by the right main landing gear (MLG) tire that continued off the runway, and by the tailwheel tire, which began 50 ft past the beginning of the right MLG tire marks and also continued off the runway. The left MLG tire only made light tire marks, which indicates that the airplane was light on the left MLG tire during the takeoff. No flat spots were noted on either MLG tire, and examination of both brakes and the flight controls revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. During an operational test, the left brake operated normally. The right brake could not be operationally tested due to damage to its components Given the evidence, it is likely that the pilot lost directional control during the attempted takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.