Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN17FA028
AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1C-180 — Clarksville, TX
| Date | October 28, 2016 |
| Location | Clarksville, TX |
| Aircraft | AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1C-180 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Dusk · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 24 |
| Pilot total time | 614 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 448 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
- Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Tree(s)-Contributed to outcome
What happened
The airplane impacted trees and terrain while on approach to land on a privately-owned grass runway. There were no witnesses to the accident. The airplane came to rest about 2,100 ft from the approach end of runway 24 and about 250 ft left of the extended runway centerline. The accident site was located about where the turn from a left base leg to final approach for landing on runway 24 would be made. Examination of the wreckage indicated that the airplane initially struck trees with its left wing and then impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude. The airplane's close proximity to the initial tree impact, and the attitude at which it struck the ground indicated that the airplane had little forward velocity. Examination of the airplane, its control systems, and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed during the turn from the base leg to final approach, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.