Kolb TWINSTAR N193Y

Summary

On 15 March 2015 at about 22:15 local time, a Kolb TWINSTAR registered N193Y was involved in an accident near Reynolds, Georgia, 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

15 March 2015 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Reynolds, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

32.5014, -84.1367

Aircraft

Kolb TWINSTAR

Registration

N193Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Butler → Thomaston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA156

1 person died.

The student pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's decision to operate the airplane at a low altitude that did not allow for stall recovery.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was flying at a low altitude over a relative's residence. The airplane circled over the house twice before overflying a wooded area at the neighboring residence and, according to a witness, appeared to "hover" as it flew over the trees. Shortly thereafter, the airplane suddenly pitched nose-down and impacted terrain. Witness observations were consistent with the airplane flying at a very low groundspeed, and likely a very low airspeed. The nose-down impact angle, and absence of ground scars or debris path were consistent with a stall at the time of impact. Because the airplane was operating at low altitude, the airplane's altitude was insufficient to allow the student pilot to recover the airplane from the stall. Although oil was found on the engine case and empennage, no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures were found with the engine or airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.