NTSB Identification: NYC07CA002.
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Accident occurred Saturday, October 07, 2006 in Perkasie, PA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 01/31/2007
Aircraft: Cutler VariEze, registration: N46RC
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators used data provided by various entities, including, but not limited to, the Federal Aviation Administration and/or the operator and did not travel in support of this investigation to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot of an amateur-built VariEze airplane performed an emergency landing to a field, after the propeller blades disintegrated during the initial climb. According to the pilot, the airplane accelerated normally during the takeoff roll, and after rotation, its rate-of-climb decreased significantly. He decided to land in a field off the end of the runway. The airplane landed, rolled about 50 feet, and came to rest inverted, resulting in substantial damage. A post-accident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed propeller strike marks on the runway, about the pilot's stated point-of-rotation, as well as propeller fragments near the strike marks.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be: The pilot's excessive rotation on takeoff, which resulted in a propeller blade strike, and subsequent forced landing to a field. Full narrative available
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