Martin Edward H FIRE STAR II N582EF

Summary

On 18 April 2009 at about 16:44 local time, a Martin Edward H FIRE STAR II registered N582EF was involved in an accident near Church Hill, Tennessee, 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

18 April 2009 at 16:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Church Hill, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Darnell's Field (77TN)

Coordinates

36.5092, -82.6817

Aircraft

Martin Edward H FIRE STAR II

Registration

N582EF

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rogersville → Church Hill

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09CA255

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed to avoid an aerodynamic stall during final approach.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During final approach to a turf runway, the pilot of the amateur-built airplane noted that he was too high and the airspeed was 60 to 65 mph. He reduced engine power to descend, and was then distracted while viewing wildlife in a field below him. When the pilot looked back at the airspeed indicator, it displayed 40 mph. The airplane then "stalled" and the pilot felt the left wing drop. The airplane subsequently struck a fence and the nose impacted the ground. The airplane flipped over and came to rest short of the runway. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the airplane was substantially damaged. A witness familiar with the accident airplane reported that its stall speed was in the "mid-30s." A weather observation taken 10 minutes after the accident, at an airport 14 nautical miles away, reported calm winds; however, the pilot recalled wind gusting from his left and from behind after impact. A witness recalled that it was sunny with thermal updrafts and downdrafts. The pilot had over 177 hours of flight experience in the accident airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.