No fatalities

21 May 2017: AIRTIME AIRCRAFT INC CYGNET NO SERIES — Casa Grande, AZ

Casa Grande, AZ, United States

On 21 May 2017, an AIRTIME AIRCRAFT INC CYGNET NO SERIES was involved in an aviation accident near Casa Grande, AZ. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff in gusting crosswind conditions. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A flight instructor demonstrating touch-and-go landings in an amphibious float-equipped weight-shift trike reported that a gust of wind during takeoff caused the aircraft to veer off the runway and roll over, resulting in substantial damage.

Accident Details

A flight instructor, who was demonstrating multiple touch-and-go landings for a student pilot in an amphibious float-equipped weight-shift controlled trike, reported that the accident occurred during the final approach of a touch-and-go landing. According to the instructor, the wind was "light and variable" and the landing was "smooth and stable." As power was applied for takeoff, a "gust of wind and dust came in from our left and got under the wing." The trike subsequently veered off the runway to the right and rolled over.

Instructor Report

The flight instructor added that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the trike that would have precluded normal operation. The instructor was in the rear seat, and the student pilot was in the front seat of the tandem-seat trike.

Weather Information

An automated weather observation station at the accident airport recorded wind from 330° at 9 knots around the time of the accident. The flight instructor stated that the takeoff was conducted on runway 5.

Aircraft Damage

The wing and fuselage of the trike sustained substantial damage in the accident.

Contributing factors

Causes

Instructor/check pilotDirectional control — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Effect on operation