Quad City CHALLENGER II UNREG
6 March 2004 · Labelle, Florida, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 6 March 2004 at about 14:15 local time, a Quad City CHALLENGER II registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Labelle, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 14:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Labelle, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 26.7442, -81.4325
- Aircraft
- Quad City CHALLENGER II
- Registration
- UNREG
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Labelle → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA04LA068
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot in command's abrupt pull up, which resulted in an overload of the right wing, right wing separation, an uncontrolled descent, and impact with terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A witness stated that he was flying his ultralight aircraft in close proximity to the accident aircraft and he observed the accident aircraft enter about a 45-degree dive from an altitude of about 500 feet. He further stated that he was behind the accident aircraft and he observed it as it dove toward the ground. From his position, he said he saw the attitude of the aircraft change abruptly, as if to recover from the dive at an altitude of about 50 feet above the ground. As the nose pitched up, the witness stated that he saw the right wing separate, and the aircraft then impacted the ground. He also said that he had observed the accident aircraft during one other such dive and recovery maneuver immediately preceding the maneuver during which the accident occurred. Postcrash examination of the right wing spar attach bracket by an aircraft builder/ultralight mechanic, who observed the accident, revealed that the bracket had separated consistent with overstress.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Quad City CHALLENGER accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Sep 2009 | Quad City CHALLENGER II | Redlands, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Jan 2010 | Quad City CHALLENGER | Palmetto, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Aug 2011 | Quad City CHALLENGER | Granbury, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Oct 2012 | Quad City CHALLENGER | Castroville, Texas, United States | James Leppert | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 May 1995 | Quad City CHALLENGER | Bridgeport, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Nov 2013 | Quad City CHALLENGER I | Winsted, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Oct 2004 | Robinson R-22 | Pompano Beach, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 2004 | Robinson R22 | Keystone, Florida, United States | Collective Helicopter Corp | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2004 | Beechcraft BE90 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | Execstar Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 2004 | Piper PA-28-181 | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | Pan Am International Flight Academy Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 1 Oct 2004 | Rotorway 162F | New Smyrna Beac, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2004 | Beechcraft H35 | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | Tim Sullivan | Minor injuries | - |