Pilot Debrief

BALDWIN SKYBOLT near Stuttgart, AR — 2012-05-30

Final reportCEN12LA331
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Date
2012-05-30
Location
Stuttgart, AR, USA
Airport
PVT
Aircraft
BALDWIN SKYBOLT
Registration
N24EB
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the airplane’s overweight takeoff from an airstrip with a high density altitude and subsequent collision with terrain.

NTSB narrative

The pilot and a passenger departed in an experimental amateur-built airplane from a private airstrip with a higher-than-standard density altitude. The pilot was unable to maintain a positive rate of climb during the takeoff and turned back toward the airport. The airplane subsequently impacted rough terrain, and a postimpact ground fire occurred. Postaccident calculations revealed that the airplane’s gross weight for the accident flight exceeded its maximum gross weight. The pilot reported no airplane mechanical malfunctions, and postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen to land on the nearby road instead of attempting to return to the airstrip.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 7 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents7

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