Ultralight America SPITFIRE II N6524R accident near Ranger, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during the initial climb after a takeoff in high density altitude conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

NTSB analysis

The student pilot, who owned the airplane, and the pilot-rated passenger, who was a prospective airplane buyer, departed for a local flight. A witness observed the airplane stall shortly after takeoff, and the airplane descended into a tree and then the ground. A postimpact fire ensued. An examination of the airframe, engine, and related systems revealed no evidence of preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The density altitude was calculated to be 3,921 feet, and the accident site elevation was 1,473 feet mean sea level. It was not possible to determine what effect the medications that were detected in the student pilot’s system (which ranged from over-the-counter cold/hay fever medications to anticonvulsants and anti-inflammatory agents) may have had on his performance if he was flying the airplane. Regardless of which pilot was operating the airplane at the time of the accident, it is likely that the airplane stalled as a result of reduced airspeed and climb performance while operating at a high density altitude.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN11LA421 for the full record.