Pilot Debrief

SILER RONALD E ULTRASTAR near Halifax, PA — 2014-07-23

Final reportERA14LA351
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Date
2014-07-23
Location
Halifax, PA, USA
Aircraft
SILER RONALD E ULTRASTAR
Registration
N4425W
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because the engine was not recovered. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack during the forced landing attempt, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot had recently finished performing maintenance on the experimental light sport airplane after not having flown it for 3 years. After a series of successful engine run-ups and high-speed taxi tests, the pilot chose to depart on a brief local flight just after sunset. When the airplane reached an altitude of about 200 ft above the ground, the two-stroke engine slowly began to lose power. The pilot subsequently attempted to perform a forced landing to a cornfield, but the airplane slowed, exceeded its critical angle-of-attack, and subsequently entered an aerodynamic stall and impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane and serious injuries to the pilot. The wreckage was not recovered from the accident site and could not be examined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have opted not to take off after long absence from flying.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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