Williams Christopher T SONEX N732SX

Summary

On 17 February 2014 at about 17:50 local time, a Williams Christopher T SONEX registered N732SX, operated by McGarity Leonard W, was involved in an accident near Wellington, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 February 2014 at 17:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Wellington, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Wellington Aero Club (FD38)

Coordinates

26.6467, -80.2950

Aircraft

Williams Christopher T SONEX

Registration

N732SX

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

McGarity Leonard W

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wellington → Wellington

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14FA123

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed following a partial loss of engine power during initial climb, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper repair of a stripped spark plug hole, which led to a partial loss of engine power during initial climb.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had just departed the airport; one witness reported that during the initial climb the engine "sputtered," and another reported that it "backfired." The pilot then made a steep turn back toward the airport, but the airplane stalled and spiraled to the ground. The airplane was equipped with an electronic flight instrument system that recorded numerous engine and flight parameters. Review of the downloaded data revealed that, initially, the engine was operating normally and within design parameters. However, toward the end of the recorded data, the No. 1 cylinder head and exhaust gas temperatures had begun to decrease while the other cylinder temperature parameters remained fairly constant. The engine data then recorded a decrease in engine rpm followed by a steep 180-degree turn toward the airport. A witness who assisted the pilot with the airplane's oil change 2 days earlier stated that the pilot had cross-threaded a spark plug in the No. 1 cylinder and attempted a helicoil repair. During examination after the accident, the No. 1 sparkplug was easily removed by hand. This was likely the cause of the power loss that preceded the pilot's attempt to return to the airport. The pilot's steep, 180-degree turn exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in a stall at low altitude and collision with terrain. A review of the pilot's toxicology revealed that even though he tested positive for antidepressants, they were not a factor in the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.