Takeoff & Initial Climb · NTSB CEN15FA422
PIERCE, HENRY BUSHBY MUSTANG II — Granbury, TX
| Date | September 25, 2015 |
| Location | Granbury, TX |
| Aircraft | PIERCE, HENRY BUSHBY MUSTANG II (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Takeoff Abrupt maneuver |
| Pilot age | 40 |
| Pilot total time | 6,380 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 35 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
Witnesses observed the airplane takeoff, and level off as it flew down the runway at a low altitude. It then entered a steep nose-up climb, followed by a sudden roll to the right and a steep nose-down descent. Video images from a security camera, showed the airplane descended at about 20° to 30° nose-down attitude until it impacted the terrain. Examination of the wreckage did not find any anomalies that would have contributed to the accident. Signatures on the propeller were consistent with the propeller being driven during the impact sequence. A review of the pilot's video camera found recordings of similar maneuvers that had a right rolling tendency during the airplane's recovery to level flight. The circumstances of the accident were consistent with the pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a steep climb resulting in an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain.