Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB CEN19FA305
Champion 7GCBC — Carpenter, WY
| Date | September 7, 2019 |
| Location | Carpenter, WY |
| Aircraft | Champion 7GCBC |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 62 |
| Pilot total time | 524 hrs · Building experience |
| Time in type | 52 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded
What happened
The pilot departed from a field and was climbing the airplane through about 100 to 200 ft above ground level. Witnesses stated, and surveillance video of the accident confirmed, that the airplane entered a left bank that increased to about 60° degrees as the airplane turned about 180°. The left bank continued to increase until the airplane entered a nose-down descent into the ground, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Both witnesses reported that the engine was operating throughout.
Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the available information, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack while turning during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery.