Esqual VM1 N151GH

Summary

On 27 August 2024 at about 22:45 local time, a Esqual VM1 registered N151GH was involved in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 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

27 August 2024 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Wittman Regional Airport (OSH)

Coordinates

43.9844, -88.5570

Aircraft

Esqual VM1

Registration

N151GH

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA330

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s premature rotation during takeoff which resulted in the airplane settling back to the runway and the subsequent separation of the left wheel.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot executed two stabilized low approaches without touching down. After touchdown following the third approach, engine power was added, and the wing flaps were retracted. Before the flaps were fully retracted and before rotation speed, the pilot rotated, and the airplane lifted off the runway. The airplane sank back onto the runway with a side load on the left main landing gear. The left axle broke, and the left wheel separated from the airplane and impacted the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot continued the takeoff, and the control tower confirmed there was no left wheel on the airplane. The second pilot landed the airplane on the runway without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left side of the fuselage near the attachment point of the left horizontal stabilizer when the wheel impacted the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.