Pilot Debrief

Cessna T188 near Knox, IN — 2019-07-14

Final reportCEN19LA225
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Date
2019-07-14
Location
Knox, IN, USA
Airport
IG05
Aircraft
Cessna T188
Registration
N2863J
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was practicing agricultural application passes along the operator's airstrip. A witness reported that the pilot's initial passes were completed without incident, although the pilot "seemed to be slightly aggressive in the turns." After landing, the pilot mentioned turning at an airspeed of 60 mph, and the witness informed him to never fly below 80 mph. The pilot took off and completed three more practice passes. After the pilot's final pass, he executed a "very steep field exit" and held the airplane in a nose-up attitude longer than required to clear the obstacles. He entered a left 270° turn and, after rolling wings-level, the airplane entered an "extremely slow" climb before abruptly rolling into a steep left bank that continued until impact. The pilot reported that the did not recall any of the events leading to the accident. A postaccident examination revealed damage to the forward fuselage, both wings and the empennage. The examination did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at an altitude that precluded recovery.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have maintained minimum airspeed of 80 mph in turns.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 5 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents5

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