On the Record: Avid Mk IV, Florida

Jan. 9, 2016

The pilot took off and initiated a steep, left, crosswind turn to avoid horses off the end of the runway. About 300 feet above the ground, he smelled “burning wires” and thought he saw a “wisp of smoke.” The engine “sputtered then died.” The left wing stalled, the airplane rolled inverted, and entered a downward spiral. The airplane collided with trees and terrain before coming to rest, inverted, in a grassy field.

Examination of the airframe and engine found no evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction that would have prevented normal operation.

NTSB Final Report

NTSB Docket