Stamper RV-10 N924WY

Summary

On 5 November 2016 at about 13:56 local time, a Stamper RV-10 registered N924WY was involved in an accident near Dubois, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 November 2016 at 13:56

Classification

Accident

Location

Dubois, Wyoming, United States

Nearest airport

Dubois Municipal Airport (DUB)

Coordinates

43.5536, -109.7086

Aircraft

Stamper RV-10

Registration

N924WY

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dubois → Dubois

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17FA035

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after becoming distracted by the opening of the gull-wing cabin door during takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to ensure that the right gull-wing cabin door was properly latched before takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was departing on a local flight in the experimental airplane that he had built when the right gull-wing cabin door rotated open upon liftoff. A witness saw the pilot reaching for the fully open door as the airplane continued to overfly the runway at a low altitude. The airplane subsequently entered an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude and descended into terrain about 1,675 ft past the end of the runway and 183 ft left of the extended runway centerline. A postimpact fire destroyed the airframe. The right gull-wing cabin door was found in a ravine about 600 ft from the main wreckage. Although the door had separated from the fuselage while the airplane was in flight, there was no evidence that the door had struck any portion of the airplane. The door latch handle and associated latch pins were found in a partially secured position. A functional test of the door latch mechanism did not reveal any anomalies. Testing of the door latch indicator system was not possible due to extensive postimpact fire damage to the fuselage and instrument panel. Based on the witness description and the physical evidence, it is likely that the pilot failed to ensure that the right gull-wing cabin door was properly latched before takeoff. The pilot likely became distracted by the open door and, as a result, did not maintain adequate airspeed after takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.