Amateur-built Amphibeous Trike/No N440LS accident near Chehalis, Washington

Probable cause

The failure of the left wing prong.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, just after liftoff from the runway, the trike began to pull "hard" to the left. The pilot then looked to the left and saw the left wing flapping. He subsequently performed a modified traffic pattern to return to the runway to land. After turning onto the final leg of the traffic pattern, the trike began to oscillate, but the pilot was able to land the trike. As soon as the trike touched down on the runway, the left wing "grabbed," and the trike flipped over and then came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported that the trike lost the left wing prong after takeoff, and a responding police officer found a piece of the left wing prong near the runway departure point. The loss of the wing prong likely led to the left wing flapping after departure and the pilot's subsequent inability to maintain directional control after landing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR14LA104 for the full record.