Piper J5A N41239

Summary

On 25 March 2016 at about 12:00 local time, a Piper J5A registered N41239 was involved in an accident near Lake Harbor, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 March 2016 at 12:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Lake Harbor, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.6928, -80.8097

Aircraft

Piper J5A

Registration

N41239

Category

Airplane

Year built

1941

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pahokee → Pahokee

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA166

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's exceedance of the critical angle of attack while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an accelerated aerodynamic stall, spin, and impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to maneuver at low altitude and chase birds away from designated fields. The pilot further reported that he had previously completed about 8 to 10 turns over the target field and during a steep "reversal turn" to the left the airplane impacted terrain. The pilot had no other recollection of the accident. According to a private pilot witness located about 700 feet from the accident airplane, he observed the accident airplane enter a "steep turn" to the left about 50 to 75 feet above the ground. The witness further reported that the airplane "stalled and spun into the ground", and that the engine noise became louder seconds before impact.  The fuselage and both wings were substantially damaged. The Federal Aviation Administration Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge in part states: an airplane will "stall at a higher indicated airspeed when excessive maneuvering loads are imposed by steep turns, pull-ups, or other abrupt changes in its flight path." Stalls entered from such flight situations are called "accelerated maneuver stalls," a term, which has no reference to the airspeeds involved. Stalls which result from abrupt maneuvers tend to be more rapid, or severe, than the unaccelerated stalls, and because they occur at higher-than-normal airspeeds, and/or may occur at lower than anticipated pitch attitudes, they may be unexpected by an inexperienced pilot. Failure to take immediate steps toward recovery when an accelerated stall occurs may result in a complete loss of flight control, notably, power-on spins. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.