Flight CTLS N423EB

Summary

On 7 May 2019 at about 23:00 local time, a Flight CTLS registered N423EB was involved in an accident near Boulder City, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 May 2019 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Boulder City, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Boulder City Muni (BVU)

Coordinates

35.9364, -114.8544

Aircraft

Flight CTLS

Registration

N423EB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boulder City → Boulder City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19LA141

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper monitoring and failure to maintain airspeed during a critical phase of flight, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, an aerodynamic stall, and subsequent impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed on a local flight with a passenger to a nearby lake. As the airplane reached the lake, the pilot perceived a sudden increase in his indicated airspeed. He responded by retarding the throttle to the idle position then advancing the throttle back to full power, at which point he observed a warning light for an engine control unit “Lane B” failure and a message on the primary flight display (PFD), “Rotax: Land Aircraft.” The pilot immediately returned to the airport and performed a rapid descent when he realized that he was high for the approach. He was unsuccessful in reducing his airspeed while over the first half of the runway and decided to execute a go-around maneuver as the airplane passed midfield. An eyewitness reported that when he observed the airplane attempt the go-around at the end of the runway, the engine did not “initially” sound like it reached full power. The airplane subsequently stalled and impacted terrain. According to the engine manufacturer, the “Lane B” failure would not have affected engine performance, and recorded engine and aircraft parameters indicated the engine continued to run and respond to throttle position changes normally throughout the flight. The data showed the unexplained increase in airspeed occurred following a change in the throttle position and the resultant increase in engine rpm. The recorded data are consistent with the pilot’s account of events leading up to the point the go-around was initiated. The data indicated that the throttle was moved to 95% about 20 seconds before the airplane stalled. The engine rpm increased, but the airspeed decreased from 52 knots to 35 knots and the angle of attack increased to 99% during that time. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical failures or anomalies that could have precluded normal flight. The accident is consistent with the pilot failing to monitor the airplane’s performance during the return to the airport, which resulted in the need to go around due to being too fast to land on the remaining runway. During the go-around maneuver, the pilot did not advance the throttle to 100%, which resulted in the airspeed decreasing and angle of attack increasing until the airplane stalled.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.