Primary finding
Probable cause
an aileron control malfunction of undetermined origin. A factor was the pilot's inability to control the airplane.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The builder/pilot reported the airplane began a right turn after liftoff. He said he applied left control input to stop the turn. The airplane leveled off and began a descent. The pilot said the airplane would begin a right turn if he neutralized the aileron controls. The airplane collided with the ground shortly after getting airborne. The on-scene investigation revealed flight control continuity. The pilot said the engine had been developing full power. Wing and aileron rigging could not be determined due to the crash damage.
Source record
Factual narrative
On June 10, 1996, at 0900 central daylight time (cdt), a Carrison-Seimans Schukert D-1, N51CQ, piloted by a commercial pilot, was substantially damaged when it collided with the ground shortly after takeoff. The 14 CFR Part 91 test flight was not operating on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no injuries. The flight departed Gardner, Kansas, at 0900 cdt. According to the pilot's written statement, the airplane lifted off runway 35 (3,220' X 100' dry sod) at the Gardner Municipal Airport, Gardner, Kansas, and began a right turn after reaching an altitude of 70 feet above ground level. The pilot said, "I attempted a left correction and, as the wing's leveled, the aircraft started to descend." He said the airplane would begin a right turn if he neutralized the control stick. The pilot said the airplane collided with the ground "...just east of runway 3 in a bean field... ." N51CQ's engine was developing full power according to the pilot. A Federal Aviation Administration Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) represented the NTSB on-scene. The PMI said N51CQ's lower right wing struck the ground first and then ground looped. He said the flight controls were checked and had continuity for all three axis'. The PMI said the airplane's wing rigging angles could not be checked due to the wing damage. -