Piper PA36 N57607 accident near Ord, Nebraska

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed while in a turn during initial climb and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was departing on an agricultural flight when the airplane’s airspeed began to decrease while in a turn shortly after takeoff. The pilot confirmed that the engine and propeller were operating normally at takeoff power, but the airspeed continued to decrease closer to an aerodynamic stall speed while in the turn. The pilot chose not to dump the load of liquid herbicide because he thought it might have had a negative effect on controlling the airplane and cause it to enter an aerodynamic stall. The airplane’s right wing dropped shortly before it impacted with the ground, which the pilot attributed to the airplane flying at or near aerodynamic stall. The airplane collided with terrain in a right wing down attitude. The airplane’s fuselage and both wings were substantially damaged during the accident.

The pilot stated that he previously flew the airplane with similar or heavier loads without any adverse effects to airplane performance. He reported that the weather conditions earlier in the morning included rain showers associated with the passage of a weather front; however, at the time of the accident, the wind was calm and there was no precipitation. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane or its engine during the flight.

Postaccident examination of the airplane and its engine did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have prevented normal flight. Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed while in the turn during initial climb, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude from which a recovery was not possible.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN20LA381 for the full record.