Aerial Productions ACROJET SPECIAL N23AP

Summary

On 27 June 2006 at about 14:30 local time, a Aerial Productions ACROJET SPECIAL registered N23AP was involved in an accident near Ocean City, Maryland, 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

27 June 2006 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ocean City, Maryland, United States

Nearest airport

Ocean City Municipal Airport (OXB)

Coordinates

38.3181, -75.1417

Aircraft

Aerial Productions ACROJET SPECIAL

Registration

N23AP

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ocean City → Ocean City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC06LA160

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall mush and subsequent impact with trees. A factor in the accident was windshear, and the high weight of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After proceeding to a designated test area to perform airborne testing, the pilot made one test run, and then was instructed by radio to return to the airport because the weather had begun to deteriorate. Since the flight was shorter than planned, the airplane returned to the airport at a higher than normal landing weight due to fuel. The pilot turned onto a 5-mile final, and made a low pass down the runway for data collection purposes. He then joined the traffic pattern for landing. On final approach, short of the runway, the airplane impacted trees. No evidence of any preimpact malfunctions were discovered during the wreckage examination. Performance data downloaded from the airplane revealed that during the approach, the descent rate was much higher than recorded during a previous flight, and airspeed was approximately 25 knots slower than recommended for the airplane's weight. The data also showed that the headwind component decreased by approximately 14 knots in the last 10 seconds of the flight, and angle of attack and engine power increased. The airplane's training syllabus cautioned pilots of the dangers associated with high fuel load landings, and, except for emergencies, stated that landings should not be attempted with more than 30 gallons remaining. The airplane had an estimated 35 to 37 gallons remaining at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.