Osborne CHALLENGER II N69ER

Summary

On 3 August 2008 at about 17:26 local time, a Osborne CHALLENGER II registered N69ER was involved in an accident near Fairdealing, Kentucky, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 August 2008 at 17:26

Classification

Accident

Location

Fairdealing, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

Pirates Cove Airport (42KY)

Coordinates

36.8269, -88.1972

Aircraft

Osborne CHALLENGER II

Registration

N69ER

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Benton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC08LA263

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while climbing into rising terrain at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and uncontrolled descent.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a family gathering, the pilot/owner began to offer rides in the experimental amateur-built airplane to the attendees. The first potential passenger rejected the offer because the day was "too hot." A second person accepted, and he and the pilot departed the lakeside airstrip for a personal flight in the local area. This was the first flight of the day for the pilot and airplane. The airplane flew approximately 3 miles to the north, and remained over the lake during that time. Once the airplane crossed the shoreline, the terrain began to rise. The passenger and a witness on the golf course below both observed that the airplane was low and "close to the trees." The witness stated that he first thought the pilot was trying to land on the fairway, but then the airplane "winged over" and struck trees. The airplane was not equipped with a stall warning system, and a bank angle of 60 degrees increased the stall speed to a value above the best angle of climb speed. No preaccident anomalies or failures with the airplane or engine were discovered. Available information indicated that the pilot had approximately 34 hours experience in the airplane. Postaccident toxicology testing identified diphenhydramine, a sedating and impairing over-the-counter antihistamine, in the pilot's blood, but it was unknown how recently the pilot took the medication and the investigation was unable to determine whether it impaired his abilities or decision-making.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.