Piper J2 N17261

Summary

On 13 January 1996 at about 00:45 local time, a Piper J2 registered N17261, operated by Palmer J. Swanson, was involved in an accident near Lancaster, California, 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

13 January 1996 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Lancaster, California, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip

Coordinates

34.7204, -118.4799

Aircraft

Piper J2

Registration

N17261

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Palmer J. Swanson

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96FA095

1 person died.

failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering from crosswind to downwind after takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin and collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing touch-and-go landings at a private dirt airstrip. A pilot witness observed the airplane turning from crosswind to downwind at what appeared to be a slow airspeed at an estimated altitude of 250 feet agl. The witness said the airplane appeared to stall, roll off on the left wing, and pitch down into the ground. Ground impact signatures indicated that the airplane rotated about 180 degrees after stalling. The weather was VFR with calm winds. No preimpact discrepancies were found during an examination of the aircraft and engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.