Amateur-built TORNADO N31311 accident near Lewisville, Arkansas

Probable cause

The non-certificated pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control at an altitude too low to recover.

NTSB analysis

Before the flight, the non-certificated pilot stated to the private airstrip owner that he was going to demonstrate the airplane’s climb performance during the takeoff and departure. The airstrip owner reported that the pilot performed a steep climbing takeoff and then initiated a left turn over wooded terrain.

A witness, located near the departure end of the airstrip, reported that she thought the airplane was going to impact a tree in her yard due to its low altitude. The airplane then banked to the left before impacting the tree canopy southeast of her residence. The airplane entered the trees in a left-wing-down position before coming to rest inverted in a marsh. Both the private airstrip owner and the witness stated that the surface wind was gusting at the time of the accident.

Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The ethanol detected in the pilot’s cavity blood was likely from sources other than alcohol consumption, and it is unlikely that ethanol effects contributed to the accident.

Based on the available evidence, it is likely that the non-certificated pilot failed to maintain airspeed during a steep initial climb and low-altitude turn, which led to an exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, aerodynamic stall, and loss of control at an altitude too low to recover.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN23FA167 for the full record.