Dickenson BATHTUB N538

Summary

On 5 May 2008 at about 22:00 local time, a Dickenson BATHTUB registered N538 was involved in an accident near Broadhead, Wisconsin, 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

5 May 2008 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Broadhead, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Broadhead Airport (C37)

Coordinates

42.6097, -89.3709

Aircraft

Dickenson BATHTUB

Registration

N538

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Broadhead → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI08LA123

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during approach, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was destroyed when it impacted terrain following a loss of control on final approach to land. The flight was the pilot's first flight in the airplane. A witness reported seeing the airplane as it turned from a left base leg of the airport traffic pattern to final approach. The witness reported that the airplane's bank angle increased during the turn to correct for wind drift. It then stalled and entered a spin. Another witness also reported that he believed the accident was the result of a stall/spin. Neither witness reported hearing any engine malfunctions. No preimpact mechanical deficiencies were found with the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.