NTSB Factual Report

On May 5, 2007, at 0850 eastern daylight time, a single-engine Aviat A-1A airplane, N16HY, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from Runway 01 at the Republic Airport (KFRG), near Farmingdale, New York. The commercial pilot was seriously injured and the passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to Air Transport Service, LLC, of Wilmington, Delaware, and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

In a written statement, the pilot stated that he requested a short field, "immediate left downwind departure" from air traffic control. While climbing, the engine's manifold pressure and RPM dropped without warning. The engine lost "significant" power, the "nose went down", and he attempted to land on the runway.

In a telephone interview, the pilot stated that prior to the flight he calculated the airplane's weight and balance to be 15 to 20 pounds under gross weight and performed a pre-flight inspection of the airplane. He then boarded his passenger, started the engine and taxied the airplane to Runway 01(a 5,516-foot-long and 150-foot-wide asphalt runway). The pilot reported that everything was operating normally, and he elected to execute a short-field takeoff. Once the airplane became airborne, he pitched the nose-up to establish a climb airspeed of 55 knots. When asked what the stall speed of the airplane was, the pilot replied that it was between 47 and 51 knots and the best angle of climb speed (Vx) was between 55 and 60 knots. He added that when the airplane reached an altitude of about 100 to 200 feet above the runway, the engine RPM dropped and "things happened fast" as the airspeed decreased. The pilot further stated that he got concerned that the airplane would "slide back on its tail since he was out of the performance parameters of the aircraft." Subsequently, the nose of the airplane dropped toward the ground and the airplane impacted the runway. The pilot declared that he made every effort to recover the airplane; however, he did not have enough altitude to fully recover. In addition, he said that there was an initial drop in engine power (he thought maybe due to a magneto dropping off line), but it came back and the engine was operating at the time of impact. He also could not recall if he had retracted the flaps; however, he did say that if he had retracted the flaps it would have "exacerbated" the "situation."

A witness, who was a flight instructor, was standing on the airport ramp near the main terminal building when he saw the airplane takeoff. He reported that the airplane was in an "extreme nose high attitude" and he never saw the pilot make an attempt to lower the nose. When the airplane reached an altitude of 50-75 feet above the runway, the left wing dropped followed by the nose of the airplane and it impacted the ground.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector performed an on-scene examination of the airplane. According to the inspector, the airplane came to rest in the upright position on the west side of the runway near the 1,020-foot fixed-distance marks. The initial impact point was a series of four slash marks on the runway surface just prior to where the airplane came to rest. Examination of the airplane revealed that the elevator trim tab was positioned one-quarter of a turn from neutral towards the nose down position. According to the airplane's Flight Manual, the tab should be set halfway between neutral and full nose-up for a high performance takeoff. The flaps were found in the zero-degree (fully retracted) position. In addition, the published stall speed for the airplane with flaps (power on) was 33 miles per hour (mph) (29 knots).

A review of the aircraft logbooks revealed the last annual inspection was completed on April 1, 2006. As per Federal Regulations, the airplane was required to have an annual inspection to be considered airworthy.

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate for airplane single-engine and multi-engine land, and instrument airplane. He reported having accumulated a total of 1,846 hours, of which, 42 hours were in the same make and model aircraft. His last second class FAA medical was issued on December 1, 2006.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during a short-field takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.