Cessna Aircraft Co 162 N30283 accident near Shelter Island, New York

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed after takeoff and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at too low an altitude to recover.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he conducted a preflight inspection, including a flight control check, and taxied the airplane to the runway for takeoff. After he took off from the turf runway, the light-sport airplane immediately began banking right, and the right aileron did not respond to control inputs. The airplane subsequently impacted trees and terrain before coming to rest near the runway. Witness reports and photographs indicated that the airplane became airborne about midfield of the 1,400-ft-long runway and corroborated that the airplane then banked right before impacting terrain.

Examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of preaccident malfunction or failure, and flight control continuity was confirmed. During an engine test run, the engine started and operated normally. Although the right aileron control cable located behind the cockpit instrument panel was found separated, the cable exhibited tensile overload signatures consistent with impact damage. Further, given that the pilot reported that he checked the flight controls before departure, the flight control cable likely fractured due to tensile overload during impact. Based on the evidence indicating that the airplane immediately banked right after takeoff and then descended to impact, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in in an aerodynamic stall.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA15LA184 for the full record.