Maule M 5-235C N9281E

Summary

On 24 April 2018 at about 19:00 local time, a Maule M 5-235C registered N9281E was involved in an accident near Roxbury, Kansas, United States. One person was on board and 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

24 April 2018 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Roxbury, Kansas, United States

Coordinates

38.5511, -97.4272

Aircraft

Maule M 5-235C

Registration

N9281E

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Roxbury → Mc Pherson

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA148

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff from a road, which resulted in impact with a sign.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot had landed to check on a field for his cattle and was subsequently departing from a road in his tailwheel-equipped airplane. The pilot reported that, as the tailwheel lifted off, the airplane turned to the left. The pilot said that he was slow to respond with rudder input and that his rudder application was inadequate. The airplane traveled left a few feet and the left wingtip hit a highway sign as the airplane became airborne. The pilot continued the takeoff over a tower and its guy wires, but, because he was aware of the structural damage to the airplane, he performed a precautionary landing to a field, during which the airplane impacted trees. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.