Ratcliffe John A KOLB MARK3X N3181L

Summary

On 1 April 2010 at about 16:00 local time, a Ratcliffe John A KOLB MARK3X registered N3181L was involved in an accident near Charleston, South Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 April 2010 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Charleston Executive Airport (JZI)

Coordinates

32.7008, -80.0028

Aircraft

Ratcliffe John A KOLB MARK3X

Registration

N3181L

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Charleston → Charleston

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10LA199

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident flight was the airplane's first flight and the pilot's first flight in the airplane make and model. According to witnesses, after starting the engine, the pilot completed a high speed taxi before taking off; the airplane lifted off in "a couple hundred feet." The witnesses stated that at first, the airplane pitched up "steeply" then leveled off about 75 feet above ground level (agl). It then pitched up "steeply" again until it reached about 200 feet agl and then it returned to a "less steep" climb angle. The airplane was next observed to make a right turn onto the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern at 300 to 400 feet agl, and then turned onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at 700 to 800 feet agl. The airplane then turned to the right, pitched nose down, and continued rotating to the right until it impacted nose first in a marsh located near the end of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing spar and the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any evidence of a mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the pilot's records revealed that he had never logged any flight time in the accident airplane make and model. He had never logged any flight time in a tailwheel-equipped airplane, nor did he possess a tailwheel endorsement to act as pilot-in-command of a tailwheel-equipped airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.