Ultralight America SPITFIRE II N6524R

Summary

On 22 June 2011 at about 18:40 local time, a Ultralight America SPITFIRE II registered N6524R was involved in an accident near Ranger, Texas, 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.

Date

22 June 2011 at 18:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Ranger, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Ranger Municipal (F23)

Coordinates

32.4525, -98.6828

Aircraft

Ultralight America SPITFIRE II

Registration

N6524R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ranger → Ranger

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA421

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient airspeed during the initial climb after a takeoff in high density altitude conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot, who owned the airplane, and the pilot-rated passenger, who was a prospective airplane buyer, departed for a local flight. A witness observed the airplane stall shortly after takeoff, and the airplane descended into a tree and then the ground. A postimpact fire ensued. An examination of the airframe, engine, and related systems revealed no evidence of preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The density altitude was calculated to be 3,921 feet, and the accident site elevation was 1,473 feet mean sea level. It was not possible to determine what effect the medications that were detected in the student pilot’s system (which ranged from over-the-counter cold/hay fever medications to anticonvulsants and anti-inflammatory agents) may have had on his performance if he was flying the airplane. Regardless of which pilot was operating the airplane at the time of the accident, it is likely that the airplane stalled as a result of reduced airspeed and climb performance while operating at a high density altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.