Event WPR11CA033

Factual narrative

The pilot stated that as he taxied onto the runway and toward the centerline, the trike encountered a lateral crack across the runway pavement, which caused a noticeable and sharp 'wiggle' through the foot controls; he felt no other anomalies. He lined the trike on runway centerline and readied the trike for takeoff. During the takeoff roll, the trike struck another crack, and began to veer to the right. He attempted to correct back to the runway centerline without success. The trike rolled up on its left side, causing damage to the left wings' keel tube, the control A-frame, left leading edge spar, and sail cloth. The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that he wanted to go out on one last flight before the runway was closed for repairs. According to the FAA airworthiness inspector who responded to the airport, the crack in the runway that the trike traversed was about 4 to 5 inches wide and at least 1 to 2 inches deep. The city commenced planned runway repairs on November 1, 2010. The pilot stated that, as he taxied the trike onto the runway and toward the centerline, it encountered a lateral crack across the runway pavement, which caused a noticeable and sharp movement through the foot controls; he felt no other anomalies. He lined the trike on the runway centerline and began the takeoff roll. The trike struck another crack and veered to the right. He attempted to correct back to the runway centerline without success. The trike rolled up on its left side, causing damage to the left wing's keel tube, the control A-frame, left leading edge spar, and sail cloth. The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that he wanted to go out on one last flight before the runway was closed for repairs. According to the FAA airworthiness inspector who responded to the accident, the crack in the runway that the trike traversed was about 4 to 5 inches wide and at least 1 to 2 inches deep. The city commenced planned runway repairs several days after 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 Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
• C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa-(general)-Decision related to condition - C
• — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa-(general)-Contributed to outcome