Reinboldt Richard A CHALLENGER II N340BR

Summary

On 4 August 2011 at about 16:15 local time, a Reinboldt Richard A CHALLENGER II registered N340BR was involved in an accident near Reedsburg, Wisconsin, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 August 2011 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Reedsburg, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Reedsburg Municipal (C35)

Coordinates

43.5303, -89.9892

Aircraft

Reinboldt Richard A CHALLENGER II

Registration

N340BR

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reedsburg → Reedsburg

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA546

2 people died.

The pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger departed the airport’s south runway for a local flight. Several witnesses reported that the airplane reached an altitude of about 300 feet, the left wing dropped, and the airplane descended and impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. The airplane’s ballistic parachute system was partially deployed, but the airplane was too low at deployment for the parachute to fully deploy. An examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation. A handheld global positioning system (GPS) unit was located in the wreckage and downloaded. A plot from the GPS indicated that the airplane departed from runway 18 and tracked westward in a large circle before it returned to the airport. The track then showed that the airplane descended as it approached the airport from the southwest and was aligned with the runway at an altitude that corresponded with the runway’s altitude. The airplane then climbed to an altitude of 1,027 mean sea level (msl) (about 122 feet above ground level [agl]) and started a left turn. The final GPS point showed the airplane at an altitude of 1,035 msl (about 130 feet agl) and at an airspeed of 47 mph. Based on the events, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed and the airplane entered a power-on stall during takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.