Amateur-built CH601 HDS N18295 accident near Kapowsin, Washington

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall and loss of control during the initial climb.

NTSB analysis

A family member reported that the pilot purchased the airplane about one month before the accident. The pilot had been conducting taxi tests until the day of the accident, which was his first flight in the airplane. Witnesses observed the airplane use most of the runway to takeoff. After liftoff, the airplane was at a high angle-of-attack and not climbing very fast. The pilot-rated passenger reported that the airplane attained an altitude of approximately 700 feet above ground level when the airplane stalled. The airplane then descended in a nose-low attitude to ground impact. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of a pre-impact mechanical malfunction or failure.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10FA373 for the full record.