Fairchild PT-19A N54804

Summary

On 8 August 2009 at about 18:00 local time, a Fairchild PT-19A registered N54804 was involved in an accident near Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and 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

8 August 2009 at 18:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Meadow Lake Airport (00V)

Coordinates

38.9406, -104.5686

Aircraft

Fairchild PT-19A

Registration

N54804

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Colorado Springs → Colorado Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN09CA505

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed to avoid an aerodynamic stall during a high-density altitude takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane departed Runway 33 (6,000 feet by 60 feet, asphalt, with a slight upslope). Witnesses reported that the airplane "never got more than about 50 feet in the air". The airplane then impacted terrain and came to rest just beyond the departure end of the runway. Fuel was present at the site and the airplane's engine and right wing had been torn from the fuselage during the accident, resulting in substantial damage. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident site stated that the airplane's wooden propeller was in "splinters" and that there "didn’t appear to be any control problems". The density altitude was calculated to be 9,590 feet. The pilot failed to submit the requested NTSB form 6120.1, Pilot/Operator Accident/Incident Report.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.