Culver LFA N41716

Summary

On 12 July 2014 at about 20:19 local time, a Culver LFA registered N41716, operated by Tate Clarke W, was involved in an accident near Limington, Maine, 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

12 July 2014 at 20:19

Classification

Accident

Location

Limington, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Limington-Harmon Airport (63B)

Coordinates

43.7625, -70.6775

Aircraft

Culver LFA

Registration

N41716

Category

Airplane

Year built

1942

Engines

1

Operator

Tate Clarke W

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Limington → Turner

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14FA337

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during initial climb, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to witnesses, the airplane departed in a slow, nose-high attitude takeoff from the runway. The handheld GPS recorded that airplane was slow and climbed about 135 feet over the runway before stalling to the left about 2,200 feet down the 2,973-foot runway. One witness stated the engine noise sounded normal while two other witnesses reported a momentary sputter of engine noise, followed by a return to power. The engine noise then seemed normal for 5 to 10 seconds before the sound of impact. All three witnesses concurred that the airplane seemed lower than it should have been during the takeoff. Examination of the wreckage revealed that adequate fuel was onboard and that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane. Additionally, although the carburetor was susceptible to serious icing at glide power for the given temperature and dewpoint, the engine would have been set to full power for takeoff; thus, carburetor icing was unlikely. A teardown examination of the engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or fuel contamination. The engine had accumulated about 115 hours of operation since its most recent overhaul, which was completed about 35 years before the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.