ERA16CA290

Factual narrative

After a 1 hour local flight where he explored the airplane's stall characteristics, the student pilot/owner of the experimental light sport airplane returned to his home airport to practice touch-and-go landings. The pilot "bounced" the airplane during the final landing attempt, and while recovering applied full power to the engine for a go around. The pilot stated that the airplane then banked to the right as a result of the counterclockwise rotating-engine's "p factor effect," and began heading toward a hangar located off the right side of the runway. Due to the airplane's low altitude and airspeed, the pilot elected to continue the right turn to avoid colliding with the hangar, and once clear of it, tried to climb the airplane to clear an approaching tree line. The pilot was unsuccessful in this attempt and the airplane's right wing struck one of the trees. The airplane then impacted the ground, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe and seriously injuring the pilot.The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane or its engine that would have precluded normal operation. He further attributed the loss of control during the go around attempt to his unfamiliarity with the flight characteristics of the counter clockwise rotation of the airplane's two-stroke engine, and his lack of flight experience in experimental light sport airplanes. After a 1-hour local flight during which he familiarized himself with the airplane's stall characteristics, the student pilot/owner of the experimental light sport airplane returned to his home airport to practice touch-and-go landings. The airplane bounced during the final landing attempt, and while recovering, the student applied full power to the engine for a go-around. The student stated that the airplane then banked to the right due to the engine's counter-clockwise rotation "p factor effect" and began heading toward a hangar located off the right side of the runway. Due to the airplane's low altitude and airspeed, the student chose to continue the right turn to avoid colliding with the hangar, and once clear of it, tried to climb the airplane to clear an approaching tree line; however, the airplane's right wing struck one of the trees. The airplane then impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe and serious injuries to the pilot. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation. He attributed the loss of control during the go-around attempt to his unfamiliarity with the flight characteristics of the counter-clockwise rotation of the airplane's two-stroke engine and his lack of flight experience in experimental light sport airplanes. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student/instructed pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Effect on operation - C