Pilot Debrief

Vans RV 4 near Austin, AR — 2018-09-26

Final reportCEN18FA389
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Date
2018-09-26
Location
Austin, AR, USA
Aircraft
Vans RV 4
Registration
N534MM
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control while maneuvering which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an accelerated stall.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a local personal flight to fly over his home; it was the pilot's first flight in the airplane without a flight instructor. According to radar data, the airplane started to descend and the ground speed increased from about 100 knots to about 145 knots just before the airplane flew over the pilot's home. according to a witness, the airplane approached the house and the right wing tipped up, the airplane climbed briefly, and then the airplane rolled inverted, descended, and impacted terrain. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The description of the flight sequence is consistent with an accelerated stall when the airplane entered into a left bank as the pilot flew over his home. The pilot had completed a total of 10 hours of instruction in the accident airplane. According to the pilot's flight instructor, most of the pilot's training time consisted of takeoffs and landings and minimal time was spent training maneuvers and performance characteristics.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have heeded wife's concerns about weather before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents13

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