Musick/Terratorn TIERRA II N349SM

Summary

On 2 July 1989 at about 17:02 local time, a Musick/Terratorn TIERRA II registered N349SM, operated by Dean R. Komarek, was involved in an accident near Lewistown, Montana, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 July 1989 at 17:02

Classification

Accident

Location

Lewistown, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Lewiston Muni (LWT)

Coordinates

47.0101, -109.3405

Aircraft

Musick/Terratorn TIERRA II

Registration

N349SM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Dean R. Komarek

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN89DTI02

1 person died.

THE UNQUALIFIED PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO BECOME AIRBORNE WHILE TAXIING AT HIGH SPEED, HE FAILED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND HE INADVERTENTLY ALLOWED IT TO ENTER A STALL/SPIN AND CRASHED. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: HIS FAILURE TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES, AND HIS LACK OF QUALIFICATION AS A PILOT

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE OWNER OF THE HOME BUILT ACFT HAD PURCHASED IT FROM THE BUILDER. HE POSSESSED NEITHER AN FAA MEDICAL, NOR A PLT CERTIFICATE, & HAD NO PREVIOUS FLT TIME IN THIS MAKE & MODEL OF ACFT. HE TOLD A WITNESS THAT HE INTENDED TO TAXI IT (PRESUMABLY FOR FAMILIARIZATION). SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE & REMAINED WITHIN ABOUT 1/2 MI OF THE DEP END OF RWY 30. WITNESSES OBSERVED IT MANEUVERING ERRATICALLY AFTER TAKEOFF. ONE WITNESS BELIEVED THE UNQUALIFIED PLT CROSS- CONTROLLED THE ACFT WITH LEFT RUDDER & RGT AILERON; THE WITNESS SAID THE ACFT NEARLY HIT A HANGAR. SUBSEQUENTLY, AFTER AN APPARENT PWR REDUCTION, THE ACFT ENTERED A STALL/SPIN & CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. A LOCAL CFI RPRTD HE HAD GIVEN THE PLT APRX 4 HRS OF DUAL INSTRUCTION DURING A PREVIOUS 12 TO 24 MONTH PERIOD, BUT THE PLT HAD NOT SHOWN INTEREST IN FOLLOWING A REGULAR/STRUCTURED PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION. DURING TESTS, CANNABINOIDS WERE DETECTED IN THE PLT'S URINE, BUT NONE WAS FOUND IN HIS BLOOD.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.