BELAIR RAVEN — Sault Ste Marie, MI

What happened

The private pilot and pilot-rated passenger were departing on a local flight in the experimental, amateur-built airplane in gusting crosswind conditions. Witnesses saw the airplane take off and enter a nose-high attitude. About 100 ft above ground level, the airplane began turning right and transitioned to a nose-low spin until ground impact. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane was not equipped with any stall warning devices.

The witness reports and damage to the airplane were consistent with the pilot failing to maintain sufficient airspeed during a steep takeoff climb, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall. A flight instructor at the airport reported that, when departing the accident runway with westerly winds present, he would often notice turbulence and swirling air. He attributed this effect to the tall trees located about 100 yards west of the runway. Although autopsies revealed that both pilots were at risk for a sudden cardiac event, the circumstances of the accident are consistent with a loss of control rather than a sudden incapacitation, and it is unlikely that either pilot's cardiac condition contributed to the accident.

An editorial "what led to it / how to avoid it" analysis for this accident is generated separately and will appear here.