No fatalities

4 Mar 2012: AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 8KCAB — Beverly, MA

Beverly, MA, United States

On 4 Mar 2012, an AMERICAN CHAMPION AIRCRAFT 8KCAB was involved in an aviation accident near Beverly, MA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's loss of airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in a runway excursion. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot failed to align the airplane with the runway before takeoff, resulting in a drift off the side, airborne impact with grass, and a nose-down landing. Postaccident examination revealed substantial fuselage damage near the right main landing gear attachment.

Accident Sequence

According to the pilot's account, he did not align the airplane with the runway prior to applying takeoff power. During the subsequent takeoff roll, the airplane drifted off the side of the runway, became airborne, and impacted the grass area near the runway. The airplane then came to rest in a nose-down attitude.

Damage

A postaccident examination revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage in the vicinity of the right main landing gear attachment point. No other damage items were reported.

Pilot Information

The pilot did not report any mechanical abnormalities of the airplane to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. The pilot had recently received a tailwheel endorsement.

Contributing factors

PilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained