Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN19FA044
Piper PA24 — Valparaiso, IN
| Date | December 13, 2018 |
| Location | Valparaiso, IN |
| Aircraft | Piper PA24 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 40 |
| Pilot total time | 149 hrs · Low time |
| Time in type | 21 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- 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
The pilot was departing on a personal flight. Witness observations and surveillance video captured the airplane during the initial climb; the right wing dropped and then the airplane entered a right spin. A surveillance video from a camera mounted on a building near the accident captured the final portion of the accident sequence; the airplane completed one revolution in the spin before it impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. Examination of the airplane, engine, and systems revealed no evidence of any preimpact anomalies. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and a subsequent aerodynamic stall and spin.