Vans Aircraft Inc RV-12IS N725FA accident near Scappoose, Oregon

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to remove the seat belt used as a flight control lock from the right control stick before takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control, an aerodynamic stall, and a collision with terrain during takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot to adequately check the flight controls before takeoff to ensure they were able to move without restraint.

NTSB analysis

The pilot departed after a quick stop during a cross-country flight. Flight data from the avionics unit installed in the airplane revealed that on takeoff, the airplane lifted off the ground and reached a maximum altitude of about 81 ft above ground level (agl). After liftoff, the airplane pitched up to a maximum angle of about 43° nose up and continuously rolled left, ultimately reaching a maximum of 60° of bank. The airplane’s pitch decreased rapidly over the next several seconds to 33° nose down, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. The airplane’s stall warning system activated 3 seconds before liftoff and deactivated about 1 second before impact. The airplane was airborne for about a total of 14 seconds before impacting terrain.

Witnesses at the airport reported that they observed the airplane in a hard left-banked turn, in a nose-down attitude, until it impacted terrain. A review of pictures taken after the accident revealed that the right seat belt was looped around the right control stick, and it was secured to the full left and aft position. Flight data, impact damage around the control stick, and witnesses’ statements were all consistent with the right seat’s control stick being locked in the full left and aft position during the takeoff. It is likely that the pilot secured the right control stick with the seat belt acting as a flight control lock during his stop at the airport and failed to check that it was removed before takeoff.

According to the pilot’s operating handbook for the accident airplane, the Before Takeoff Run-Up checklist calls for the flight controls to be checked. The recorded flight data did not reveal evidence of an engine run-up before takeoff, indicating that the pilot did not complete this checklist, and so did not benefit from the methodical self-assessment that the checklist provides.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR24LA228 for the full record.