Pilot Debrief

KOLB TWINSTAR near Reynolds, GA — 2015-03-15

Final reportERA15LA156
Sign in to save
Date
2015-03-15
Location
Reynolds, GA, USA
Aircraft
KOLB TWINSTAR
Registration
N193Y
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The student pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's decision to operate the airplane at a low altitude that did not allow for stall recovery.

Contributing factors

Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's decision to operate the airplane at a low altitude that did not allow for stall recovery.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot was flying at a low altitude over a relative's residence. The airplane circled over the house twice before overflying a wooded area at the neighboring residence and, according to a witness, appeared to "hover" as it flew over the trees. Shortly thereafter, the airplane suddenly pitched nose-down and impacted terrain. Witness observations were consistent with the airplane flying at a very low groundspeed, and likely a very low airspeed. The nose-down impact angle, and absence of ground scars or debris path were consistent with a stall at the time of impact. Because the airplane was operating at low altitude, the airplane's altitude was insufficient to allow the student pilot to recover the airplane from the stall. Although oil was found on the engine case and empennage, no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures were found with the engine or airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided flying close to trees and maintained better control.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 8 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents8

Related mishaps