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| Date: | Sunday 11 June 2023 |
| Time: | 15:06 |
| Type: |  Harmon Rocket II |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N85TP |
| MSN: | 2828 |
| Year of manufacture: | 0 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Shear Airport (63NY), Porter, NY -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Shear Airport, NY (63NY) |
| Niagara Falls, NY (N49) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 11, 2023, at 1506 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Harmon Rocket, N85TP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Porter, New York. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to witnesses, the pilot took off and performed a 180° descending turn back toward the airport. He then flew a high-speed, low altitude pass along the runway before pulling up and descending into the trees. One witness reported that the airplane appeared to enter a roll as it descended into the trees near the end of the runway.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. Metallurgical examination of a propeller blade tip that its separation from the propeller blade was likely the result of impact-related damage.
Witnesses who knew the pilot and frequently saw him take off stated that after takeoff he typically made a 180° turn, and flew a high-speed low pass over the airport before climbing and entering a barrel roll. The pilot’s routine performance of high-speed flyovers and low-altitude aerobatics was indicative of high-risk behavior. Based on the available information, the pilot likely lost control of the airplane while performing an aerobatic maneuver at an altitude too low to recover.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane while initiating a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in impact with trees and terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s high-risk behavior.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://bnonews.com/index.php/2023/06/1-killed-in-small-plane-crash-in-porter-new-york/
https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/niagara-county/small-plane-crashes-in-youngstown-near-braley-road/
https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/local_news/plane-crash-explosion-reported-in-youngstown/article_026bdbb4-0891-11ee-993c-5f1051e258bd.html
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=192351
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=85TP
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/33804_1549783896.jpg (photo)
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 21 May 2014 | N85TP | Private | 0 | Winston-Salem-Smith-Reynolds Airport, NC (INT/KINT) | |
sub |
| Runway excursion | ||||||
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
NTSB is investigating the crash of an experimental Harmon Rocket airplane near Porter, New York.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) June 11, 2023
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Jun-2023 21:03 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 11-Jun-2023 21:24 | RobertMB | Updated |
| 07-Oct-2024 14:05 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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