Zaverton Elmer PJ260 SR AERO SPORT N85136

Summary

On 23 June 2007 at about 19:13 local time, a Zaverton Elmer PJ260 SR AERO SPORT registered N85136, operated by William Francis Vose, was involved in an accident near Lehighton, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 June 2007 at 19:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Lehighton, Pennsylvania, United States

Coordinates

40.8397, -75.6467

Aircraft

Zaverton Elmer PJ260 SR AERO SPORT

Registration

N85136

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

William Francis Vose

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lehighton → Lehighton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL07CA095

2 people had minor injuries.

The failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed while maneuvering to avoid a stall, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin, and collision with trees and terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A commercial pilot was flying with the student pilot/airplane owner on a demonstration flight. In statements provided to the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilots contradicted each other on who was flying the airplane immediately prior to the accident. The student pilot said the commercial pilot was flying, and allowed the airplane to get too slow, and the airplane stalled and entered a flat spin. The commercial pilot said the student pilot demonstrated a stall, failed to recover, and the airplane entered a flat spin. Both pilots agree that the student was on the controls during the attempted spin recovery. The airplane did not recover from the spin, and collided with trees, sustaining substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A postaccident inspection by an FAA inspector disclosed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies. The commercial pilot stated that he was unaware that the student pilot was not a certificated pilot.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.