Davis EARLY BIRD JENNY N1918N

Summary

On 11 October 2002 at about 20:40 local time, a Davis EARLY BIRD JENNY registered N1918N was involved in an accident near Scottsburg, Indiana, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 October 2002 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Scottsburg, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Scottsburg Airport (3R8)

Coordinates

38.6567, -85.7900

Aircraft

Davis EARLY BIRD JENNY

Registration

N1918N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Scottsburg → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI03LA009

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot not maintaining aircraft control. Factors to the accident included the pilot's lack of familiarity with the airplane, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin at a low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

While on crosswind leg the aircraft stalled, entered a spin, and subsequently impacted a lake. The accident flight was the first flight since being certified as an experimental homebuilt. The pilot reported he departed to the north and climbed through 200 feet above ground level (agl) prior to turning crosswind. The pilot stated that during the turn he "noticed the controls getting mushy. Another glance at the airspeed indicator now showed 30 mph! I instantly pushed the stick forward and applied right aileron to level the wings. Simultaneously the left wing dropped and the nose yawed left. The aircraft continued a little more than 360[degrees] left turn before the application of right rudder and increasing speed stopped it. I had just [enough] time to raise the nose from [approximately] 60[degrees] nose down to a 15-20[degree] nose low attitude before I impacted the water slightly left wing low."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.