Amateur-built SKYBOLT N24EB accident near Stuttgart, Arkansas

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which resulted in the airplane’s overweight takeoff from an airstrip with a high density altitude and subsequent collision with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and a passenger departed in an experimental amateur-built airplane from a private airstrip with a higher-than-standard density altitude. The pilot was unable to maintain a positive rate of climb during the takeoff and turned back toward the airport. The airplane subsequently impacted rough terrain, and a postimpact ground fire occurred. Postaccident calculations revealed that the airplane’s gross weight for the accident flight exceeded its maximum gross weight. The pilot reported no airplane mechanical malfunctions, and postaccident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operations.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN12LA331 for the full record.