Belew Marshall D Ii STEEN SKYBOLT N863SB

Summary

On 8 June 2014 at about 20:40 local time, a Belew Marshall D Ii STEEN SKYBOLT registered N863SB was involved in an accident near Chapmansboro, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 June 2014 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Chapmansboro, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Whifferdill (TN77)

Coordinates

36.3217, -87.1531

Aircraft

Belew Marshall D Ii STEEN SKYBOLT

Registration

N863SB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chapmansboro → Chapmansboro

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA281

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while performing an emergency landing, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing a subsequent aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was a partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined during postaccident examinations.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection with no anomalies noted. In addition, he performed an engine run-up, and everything was normal. During the initial climb, about 200 ft above ground level and just over the departure end of the runway, the pilot noticed that the airplane was not producing full power; witnesses corroborated that the engine lost partial power after the airplane reached the end of the runway. The pilot chose to return to the runway and performed a 180-degree turn. Once the airplane was over the runway centerline, the pilot attempted to add power; however, the engine did not respond. Witnesses reported that, as the airplane neared the runway, the pilot "flared too high" and that the airplane then "stalled," descended, and impacted the runway. A postimpact fire ensued. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.