Skyraider SKYRAIDER UNREG

Summary

On 28 June 2014 at about 15:22 local time, a Skyraider SKYRAIDER registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Lewiston, Idaho, 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

28 June 2014 at 15:22

Classification

Accident

Location

Lewiston, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

46.3744, -117.0153

Aircraft

Skyraider SKYRAIDER

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lewiston → Lewiston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA273

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at too low an altitude to recover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot, who also owned the airplane, was conducting a personal local flight. A witness at the airport observed the airplane taxi by to the east, turn west, rev up the engine as it turned around, sit for a while, and then depart. The witness reported that it was a windy, gusty day and that she did not observe anything unusual as the airplane turned to the east in a climb. She lost sight of the airplane as it went around the traffic pattern and could no longer hear the engine, and then she heard a thud. She did not hear the engine noise change, just the sudden thud. The airplane came to rest inverted in a wheat field with the tail elevated. The forward part of the airplane and the wings sustained aft crush damage and the tail was undamaged. The wreckage and ground scars were confined to the impact area. Initial examination of the engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have resulted in the a loss of engine power. Although an elevator control rod was found fractured, it exhibited features consistent with overstress. The wreckage was disposed of before a more thorough examination could be conducted. It is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at too low an altitude to recover.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.