Houston CHALLENGER II N902GH

Summary

On 2 July 2001 at about 23:59 local time, a Houston CHALLENGER II registered N902GH was involved in an accident near Sedalia, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 July 2001 at 23:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Sedalia, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Sedalia Memorial Airport (DMO)

Coordinates

38.6991, -93.2309

Aircraft

Houston CHALLENGER II

Registration

N902GH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sedalia → Sedalia

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI01LA194

1 person died.

the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing. Additional factors were the pilot's lack of experience in the type of airplane, the loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the trees.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The two seat experimental amateur-built airplane was destroyed when it impacted trees located near the southwest perimeter fence about 900 feet west of the approach end of runway 5. The aircraft wreckage pattern was oriented to the southwest. A witness reported that the airplane "ran like new" when it departed. Witnesses near the airport reported seeing the airplane flying low, heading north, and then making a wide right turn to the southwest before impacting the trees. One witness said the engine sputtered twice before impacting the trees. Another witness said he heard the engine quit and saw the propeller stop. He reported the engine started again and the airplane turned back toward the airport before crashing into the trees. The pilot had a total of 100 flight hours. A witness reported the pilot had purchased the airplane within the last year and had flown it about 2 hours, but not at all within the last 3 or 4 months. The airplane did not have a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) registered "N" number painted on the airplane. No data plate or serial number was found on the airplane. According to FAA records, an Airworthiness Certificate was never issued for the accident airplane. A witness reported he had flown the airplane and that it had a severe yaw problem and he was afraid to fly in it again. He reported the pilot fabricated and installed "stab fins" on the tip of each horizontal stabilizer, and a large trim tab on the rudder. The witness also stated the pilot removed the doors to the airplane because he had been told it would help eliminate the yaw problem. The witness reported the accident flight was the first flight the pilot had taken with the doors removed. An examination of the airplane revealed no preexisting anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.