Amateur-built CHALLENGER II N381RS accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina

Probable cause

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB analysis

The private pilot departed with a tailwind from a 3,075 ft-long grass runway, climbed to about 150 ft above ground level (agl) at a speed of 41 miles per hour (mph) (the airplane’s stall speed was 37 mph), and initiated a left turn. The pilot said that during the turn, the engine rpm dropped, and he was concerned about colliding with powerlines and a motor park. Instead, he chose a 3 ft round table located on the back patio of a private residence as a target to “buff” the impact. The pilot said he lowered the nose and rolled the airplane left and “slipped” the airplane between the tall trees located in the backyard of the residence and impacted the table/patio, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Once the airplane was recovered from the patio, the pilot test ran the two-stroke engine on the airframe under the supervision of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector. The engine started and ran at a high and low power setting. No mechanical deficiencies or malfunctions were noted during the engine test run that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA24LA169 for the full record.