NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA11CA440
Registry · N13LN
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
ARION AIRCRAFT LLC LIGHTNING
Year of manufacture
2012
Engine
JABIRU 3300 (120 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20120112
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A079DF
Registrant of record
HARGIS JEFFRY
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's premature rotation during takeoff.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the experimental amateur-built Nelsen Lightning was departing from a turf runway. He reported that as he passed his normal rotation point on the runway, he rotated the airplane without verifying his airspeed, which resulted in the airplane becoming airborne prematurely. The airplane rotated, rolled to the left, impacted a light pole, and came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane prior to the accident. The pilot of the experimental, amateur-built airplane was departing from a turf runway. He reported that as he passed his normal rotation point on the runway, he rotated the airplane without verifying his airspeed, which resulted in the airplane becoming airborne prematurely. The airplane rotated, rolled to the left, impacted a light pole, and came to rest inverted. Substantial damage was sustained to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane prior to the accident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action sequence-Pilot - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2011_ERA11CA440.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Lightning attachment patterns and flight conditions experienced by the NASA F-106B airplane from 1980 to 1983
The direct lightning strike data and associated flight conditions recorded from 1980 to 1983 during 742 thunderstorm penetrations with a NASA F-106B in Oklahoma and Virginia are studied with an emphas…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2005 · Journal article (JAAER)
Lightning Strikes on Commercial Aircraft: How the Airlines Are Coping
The hazard posed by lightning strikes is an important issue in commercial aviation. Extensive research into methods for coping with lightning strikes has been continuing for many years.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2022 · Faculty research project
Environmental Analysis of Convective Initiation Events in Central Florida using Integrated Mobile Observation
This research collaboration with the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office Tampa Bay aims to develop an ingredients-based methodology to help improve forecasts of first-strike cloud-t…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Aircraft Exhaust Gas Temperature Value Mining with Rough Set Method
Aircrafts are one of the most important means of transportation today. For aircrafts to be able to serve safely, their maintenance must be done in a timely and complete manner.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview
A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
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