Giles G-750 N17HE

Summary

On 3 October 1999 at about 20:12 local time, a Giles G-750 registered N17HE was involved in an accident near Salinas, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 October 1999 at 20:12

Classification

Accident

Location

Salinas, California, United States

Nearest airport

Salinas Municipal (SNS)

Coordinates

36.6707, -121.6103

Aircraft

Giles G-750

Registration

N17HE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salinas → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA003

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which led to a stall/mush condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The experimental airplane descended into the ground during an air show performance. The pilot was performing a 1-minute aerial sequence, which began and ended at the same spot on the runway. The propeller had a Beta range operating capability and was reversible to produce zero or negative thrust. Near the completion of the performance, the pilot established a descent angle about 50 to 60 degrees. After going into Beta reverse range, the pilot brought the propeller into flight idle as he descended through about 800 feet agl. The pilot said he moved the thrust lever forward to achieve 85 to 90 knots and the engine did not spool up; he believed it might have flamed out. He maintained a nose down attitude with airspeed on the verge of a stall and was able to briefly maintain a minimum sink rate, which increased just prior to impact. Examination of the engine revealed signatures consistent with operation in the mid to high power range at impact. There were no indications of any anomalies or discrepancies that would have precluded normal engine operation. Examination of the propeller revealed internal witness marks consistent with the blades being in the normal operating range at the time of impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.