Brian P North RAF SE5A REPLICA N17SE

Summary

On 21 November 2012 at about 20:58 local time, a Brian P North RAF SE5A REPLICA registered N17SE, operated by Brian P. North, was involved in an accident near Watkins, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 November 2012 at 20:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Watkins, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Front Range Airport, Colorado (KFTG)

Coordinates

39.7842, -104.5381

Aircraft

Brian P North RAF SE5A REPLICA

Registration

N17SE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Brian P. North

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Watkins → Watkins

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN13FA066

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of airplane control and inadvertent stall while attempting to return for landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had requested to return to the airport for a full stop landing. According to a witness, the airplane appeared to be in a slow, labored climb in an abnormally high pitch attitude about 300 feet above the ground on the downwind leg in the traffic pattern. The airplane then entered a spiral descent while approaching the turn to base and impacted the ground about 0.7 miles north of the runway threshold; a postimpact fire ensued. Examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The slow flight and high pitch followed by a spiral descent are indicative of an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.