Amateur-built Stolp SDTR TOO SA300 N160JR accident near Lordstown, Ohio

Probable cause

The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the improper installation of the elevator trim tab control, which created control feedback that likely distracted the pilot during the precautionary landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, the control stick started shaking violently fore and aft. A witness video confirmed that upon liftoff the airplane’s elevator and elevator trim surfaces began to oscillate. The pilot stated that he continued the takeoff because insufficient runway remained on which to abort, and that he had full control authority, but flew the traffic pattern 10 mph slower than normal due to the feedback on the flight controls. The video showed that the airplane flew the downwind leg at a constant altitude but appeared low based on its position relative to trees and structures in the foreground. The sound of the engine was smooth and continuous through the takeoff roll, the initial climb, and the crosswind and downwind legs of the left traffic pattern. At a point consistent with the base leg of the traffic pattern, the airplane decelerated and entered a left turn. The airplane banked steeply, the nose pitched downward, and the angle of descent steepened. The airplane’s descent appeared to shallow before it disappeared behind trees and the sounds of impact were heard.

The pilot’s son, who was a passenger in the airplane, said, “He tried to turn it back, but our airspeed was so low [the plane] just started falling.”

Flight control continuity was confirmed from the cockpit to the flight control surfaces. The elevator trim tab cable was intact, but free from its attachment hardware on the trim tab cable mount. Examination of the cable and its associated hardware revealed that the cable was not properly secured and pulled free of its mount. Because the maintenance records for the airplane were burned in the post-crash fire, the history of the assembly could not be determined after the airplane’s airworthiness date.

It is likely that the pilot’s decision to fly at a lower airspeed and his distraction due to the fluttering elevator trim tab led to his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the downwind-to-base-leg turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and a subsequent loss of control.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA23LA041 for the full record.