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ERA10CA420

2010-08-14 · West Liberty, Kentucky, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 9I3

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's premature turn toward trees during the initial climb. Contributing to the accident was the airplane's high gross weight and density altitude that precluded a normal takeoff and climb.

Factual narrative

According to the pilot, he filled the airplane with 26 gallons of fuel before the accident flight. The pilot performed a preflight, and then he and the passenger got into the airplane and taxied to the runway. He set the flaps at 10 degrees before he departed from runway 25. After the airplane was in the air, the pilot began turning 30 degrees to the left when he noticed the airplane was not going to clear the trees. The pilot stated that he heard the stall warning horn before the airplane hit the trees. The airplane fell to the ground, and came to rest inverted causing substantial damage. In his statement, the pilot commented that he “made a poor decision due to weight and very hot conditions.” The pilot did not report any mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane. Winds, recorded at an airport 19 miles to the south about the time of the accident, were calm. According to the pilot, he filled the airplane with 26 gallons of fuel before the accident flight. Following a preflight inspection, he set the flaps at 10 degrees for departure. After the airplane became airborne, the pilot began turning 30 degrees to the left when he noticed that the airplane was not going to clear the trees. The pilot stated that he heard the stall warning horn before the airplane hit the trees. The airplane descended to the ground and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot stated that he had made a poor decision to depart with the airplane's high gross weight and the high density altitude. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • F Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Climb rate-Attain/maintain not possible - F
  • F Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Temp/humidity/pressure-High density altitude-Effect on operation - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_ERA10CA420.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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