Amateur-built NIEUPORT 1 N112PM accident near Brasstown, North Carolina

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during climb after takeoff, resulting in an inadvertent stall.

NTSB analysis

The accident flight was the initial flight of the experimental, amateur-built airplane. Witnesses observed the airplane departing south toward rising terrain. The normal departure procedure for that private grass strip was to depart toward the north, where the terrain descended. The airplane was observed in a normal takeoff roll before becoming airborne and, about 300 feet above the ground, pitching up before coming straight down. The airplane impacted the ground nose first, coming to rest on its back side in a pasture adjacent to the right side of the grass strip. A postcrash fire ensued. The airplane’s engine was heard at full power until impact. The responding Federal Aviation Administration inspector established flight control continuity to all the flight controls. The engine exam did not reveal any discrepancy that would have prevented the engine from producing power.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09LA454 for the full record.