When people find out I’m a pilot, their reactions range from total indifference to “ALL RIGHT! Let’s go flying!”. Somewhere in between are the folks who think you’ve lost your marbles for risking your life in that fashion. Never mind that they routinely drive on the interstate in close proximity to people whose driving skills, attentiveness, and sobriety can be called into question. In a car you might be minding your own business, doing everything right, and still become a statistic. That’s harder to do in an airplane simply because the skies aren’t as crowded as some would have you believe. You are much more the master of your own destiny.

I like to read NTSB accident reports. Not from morbid curiosity, but to get an education. These help to inform us what went wrong, and what we should or should not do if we want to be old pilots. The following fatal accident got my attention because the aircraft involved was of the same type I am building (Van’s RV-6A). The accident happened in Arlington, Washington on July 7, 1999. I will try to summarize, and excerpts from the report itself are in bold italics.

The pilot had earned his private license 9 months prior to the accident, and had only accumulated about 137 total hours, 7.5 of which was in his newly-purchased aircraft. He had been visiting Arlington airport, where an airshow was scheduled. The field was about to be closed for the airshow, so he was in a hurry to depart. After some rather confused ground operations during which his unfamiliarity with the airport was  demonstrated, he finally arrived at the designated runway and was cleared for takeoff ...the pilot performed a 180 degree turn on the runway and started his takeoff roll. Some witnesses reported that the pilot appeared to apply full power very rapidly, and that the engine "coughed" as the power was initially applied, but then seemed to produce smooth, full power. The aircraft performed what was described as a very short takeoff roll, and then lifted abruptly into the air. Immediately after leaving the ground, the aircraft entered into a "very steep" climb at "an extreme angle of attack." The aircraft continued to climb very steeply until it reached a height that was estimated as between 75 and 100 feet above the ground. At that point, its airspeed slowed significantly, and it slowly began to roll to the left. The nose of the aircraft then pitched down, and it descended into a parallel taxiway near the east side of the runway. Numerous witnesses reported that it sounded like the aircraft's engine was operating at full power from the time the pilot started the takeoff roll until the aircraft hit the ground. After it hit the surface, the aircraft slid across the taxiway and came to rest on a grassy area just off the east side of the taxiway surface. Almost immediately after sliding off the taxiway, the aircraft burst into flames.... (Bystanders were unable to put out the fire or rescue the pilot from his aircraft; the fire was extinguished by an airport fire truck.) ... Two witnesses, both of whom were familiar with RV-6 series aircraft, said that they remember that when they were looking at the accident aircraft in the parking area, the right seatbelt had been looped around the front of the right control stick, and the stick seemed to be pulled nearly to the full-back position (a common parking practice among many pilots). One of the witnesses said that he had observed the seatbelt in this position as the pilot hurriedly prepared the aircraft for departure just prior to the airshow. One of the witnesses was not near the aircraft when it started up for departure, but the other was. This witness said that although he watched the pilot start the aircraft and taxi for departure, he was not in a position where he could see whether the pilot had removed the belt from around the control stick. He further commented that, although he could not see the position of the belt itself, he does not remember noting that the elevator was in the up position as the aircraft was taxied toward the runway. Other witnesses also remembered seeing the aircraft taxi to the runway, and none of them reported specifically noting that the elevator was significantly deflected toward the up position... 

The report went on to say that the pilot was not found to be intoxicated or otherwise incapacitated. Despite specific inspections for it, there was no physical evidence of the right seatbelt interfering with the control stick (scrape marks, etc.) Due to fire damage in the cockpit area, it was hard to pin down exactly what went wrong. No engine or structural problems were found.

From witness accounts of the events, it seems that this fellow was in such a big hurry to leave that he did not perform a thorough preflight inspection and run-up, which would have included checking that his controls were free and correct. The short takeoff roll, abrupt steep climb, and subsequent departure stall all logically point (in my mind) to extreme up elevator deflection. This is something that is better practiced at least 3000 feet AGL. Perhaps the seatbelt left no marks because the buckle itself didn't touch the stick. We will probably never know. 

I learned two things from this man's unfortunate demise. One, NEVER skip or shorten the preflight. Climbout is no time to discover the gust locks are still in place! Two, I will make a practice to use the PILOT'S SIDE seatbelt to secure my control stick.

This unfortunate man wasted his life, destroyed a perfectly good aircraft, and no doubt ruined a festive airshow for the onlookers. When my friends shy away at the idea of flying, I try to point out how safe it is and that you see plane crashes in the news because they are so rare.