Stall / Spin · NTSB CEN15FA427
CESSNA 182 — Lexington, TX
| Date | September 27, 2015 |
| Location | Lexington, TX |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 182 |
| Purpose of flight | Skydiving |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Approach-VFR pattern downwind Aerodynamic stall/spin |
| Pilot age | 32 |
| Pilot total time | 862 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 605 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained - C
What happened
The commercial pilot was returning the airplane to the departure airport for landing after a skydiving flight. Two witnesses reported observing the pilot fly the airplane over the runway; one witness said it was about 50 ft above ground level (agl), and the other witness said it was about 100 ft agl. One of the witnesses added that, when the airplane reached the end of the runway, it pitched up about 45 degrees, gained about 200 ft of altitude, and then entered a turn with a 45-bank angle. The witness added that, after the airplane had turned about 90 degrees to a westerly heading, its nose dropped, and the airplane "immediately dove." The airplane subsequently entered a left spin and rotated about 180 degrees before impacting trees and then the ground. A second witness noted that the engine sounded like it was at "full throttle" during the descent as if the pilot was attempting to recover from the dive.
A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions. The airplane wreckage was confined to the vicinity of the accident site. Tree breaks in the immediate vicinity of the accident site were consistent with a high-angle descent immediately before impact. Based on the witness statements, it is likely that the pilot intentionally initiated a turning climb but failed to maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin from which he could not recover.