Flight Design Gmbh CTLS N992SA accident near Hana, Hawaii

Probable cause

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and pilot-rated passenger completed several takeoffs and landings before departing to their destination. The pilot reported that, during the accident takeoff, the airplane “had no power to climb” and was “sinking.” The airplane descended into trees and impacted terrain in a near-vertical attitude just past the departure end of the runway. The pilot-rated passenger stated that the pilot pitched the airplane “higher than he needed” and “held the high pitch attitude” until the airplane descended into the trees, and pilot-rated witnesses reported that the airplane exhibited an “unusually high” nose-up pitch attitude during the takeoff.

Postaccident examination of the engine and engine monitoring system data revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the engine. Given the passenger and witness statements regarding the airplane’s nose-high pitch attitude, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the initial climb after takeoff, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent impact with terrain.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ANC22LA012 for the full record.