Mustang II N71CB

Summary

On 28 October 2023 at about 16:50 local time, a Mustang II registered N71CB was involved in an accident near Asheville, Alabama, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 October 2023 at 16:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Asheville, Alabama, United States

Nearest airport

Dugger's Fld (AL60)

Coordinates

33.8387, -86.2114

Aircraft

Mustang II

Registration

N71CB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1971

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sylacuaga → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA027

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane during initial climb after an aborted 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 pilot was attempting to land on a constrained turf runway. A witness described that the airplane approached the runway too fast, landed long, and bounced several times. The pilot subsequently aborted the landing with limited runway remaining. The witness described that the airplane “staggered into the air” at a high pitch angle with the wings rocking left and right. The pilot described that the airplane’s nose “dropped” before it impacted the ground. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Based on this information, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the aborted landing and subsequent initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.