Amateur-built FIRESTAR N9216E accident near Atmore, Alabama

Probable cause

The noncertificated pilot's failure to maintain airplane control, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of flight experience and qualification.

NTSB analysis

The noncertificated pilot had purchased the experimental amateur-built airplane about 1 year before the accident and had accrued about 4 hours of experience in the airplane make and model. His wife reported that the accident flight was his first actual flight in the airplane, as his previous activities had been limited to taxiing and a maneuver in which the airplane intentionally became momentarily airborne while traveling down the runway.

An externally mounted onboard video camera recorded the pilot's entire 13-minute personal flight and showed that after takeoff, the airplane climbed to an altitude of about 500 to 750 ft above ground level. About 6 minutes after takeoff, the airplane began maneuvers consistent with an aerodynamic stall and spin. The airplane first banked and turned sharply right, the nose pitched down, and then the airplane banked and turned sharply left, descending rapidly during this sequence. Within a few seconds, the airplane struck a tree and then impacted the ground; the fuselage, tail boom, and wings sustained substantial damage.

Examination of the airplane did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

The pilot indicated that his total flight time was about 36 hours, most of which were accrued about 20 years before the accident. The pilot's limited overall flight experience, combined with his lack of recent flight training or any instruction in the accident airplane make and model, likely prevented him from recognizing, avoiding, and recovering from an aerodynamic stall.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR18LA142 for the full record.