Sadler Terry A MERLIN N6113Y

Summary

On 17 March 2012 at about 16:30 local time, a Sadler Terry A MERLIN registered N6113Y, operated by Schaff James F, was involved in an accident near Otisfield, Maine, 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

17 March 2012 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Otisfield, Maine, United States

Coordinates

44.0494, -70.5247

Aircraft

Sadler Terry A MERLIN

Registration

N6113Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Schaff James F

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Otisfield → Otisfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12LA230

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was his lack of experience in the airplane make and model.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot purchased the airplane 7 years before the accident but had only accumulated 1 hour of flight time in it. Prior to the accident, the pilot and a friend performed adjustments to the airplane's floats. The pilot then taxied on the lake and departed for a local flight. A witness stated that as the airplane reached an altitude of 100 feet, it banked to the right slightly and then banked hard to the left and pitched down. The airplane impacted the frozen lake in a nose-down attitude, bounced, and came to rest, breaking the ice. Postaccident examination of the airplane found no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.