Stinson 108 N6066M

Summary

On 20 September 2015 at about 20:10 local time, a Stinson 108 registered N6066M was involved in an accident near Palmer, Alaska, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 September 2015 at 20:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmer, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.4133, -148.5714

Aircraft

Stinson 108

Registration

N6066M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1947

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Birchwood → Palmer

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA15LA265

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle-of-attack during final approach to landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a personal flight and was on final approach to land at a remote backcountry airstrip. The pilot reported that he applied carburetor heat for the approach and that he observed 60 mph (52.1 knots) on the airspeed indicator. He subsequently "pushed the throttle forward, but the engine sound remained constant." According to the pilot-rated passenger, as the pilot began to level the wings to align with the runway, the right wing "instantly…dropped to a 45 degree angle." He then observed the pilot immediately reach for the throttle but saw him inadvertently grab the carburetor heat lever instead. The airplane impacted terrain in a nose-low, right-wing-down attitude and came to rest on a hillside about 100 yards short of the landing area. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that, during the final approach, the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed and exceeded the airplane's critical angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Although the pilot attempted to add power to recover from the stall, he inadvertently grabbed the carburetor heat lever instead of the throttle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.