Bobbi Boucher DUO DEUCE N808DD

Summary

On 6 June 2016 at about 21:59 local time, a Bobbi Boucher DUO DEUCE registered N808DD was involved in an accident near Stafford, Virginia, 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

6 June 2016 at 21:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Stafford, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Stafford Rgnl (RMN)

Coordinates

38.3922, -77.3167

Aircraft

Bobbi Boucher DUO DEUCE

Registration

N808DD

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stafford → Stafford

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA204

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to attain adequate airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which led to the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was also the owner and builder of the experimental, amateur-built airplane, which was a twin-engine airplane built from a single-engine airplane kit. The accident flight was the airplane's first flight, and it was captured by two airport security cameras as well as an on-board video recorded with the pilot's cell phone. The videos revealed that the airplane performed a shallow takeoff and initial climb. Almost immediately after takeoff, the airplane's track diverged from the runway centerline toward the right side of the runway and over the grass apron. Both propellers were operating at the same speed during the takeoff roll and throughout the entire flight. The airplane stopped climbing at what appeared to be treetop height, the wings rocked, and the airplane's nose continued to pitch up as it descended until ground contact, consistent with an aerodynamic stall. Although the pilot provided multiple statements that differed in their accounting of events after the accident, postaccident visual examination of the wreckage, the cell phone video of the propellers, and an operational test of the right engine revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Thus, it is likely that the pilot did not attain adequate airspeed for the takeoff and initial climb, which resulted in an exceedance of the critical angle of attack and subsequent aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.