Slip Stream GENESIS N3449

Summary

On 2 July 2017 at about 23:23 local time, a Slip Stream GENESIS registered N3449 was involved in an accident near Linesville, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 July 2017 at 23:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Linesville, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Merrys Pymatuning (PA01)

Coordinates

41.6831, -80.4331

Aircraft

Slip Stream GENESIS

Registration

N3449

Category

Airplane

Year built

1996

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Linesville → Linesville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17FA223

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a climbing turn after takeoff and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to operate the airplane with an inoperative airspeed indicator.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed on a local flight with a 5-kt tailwind in the experimental, light sport airplane. Witnesses described that, shortly after takeoff, about 500 ft above ground level, the airplane began a right turn before it stalled and entered a spin, descending to ground contact about 1,800 ft from the departure end of the runway. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation; however, the fuselage, cockpit, and instrumentation were consumed by postimpact fire. The pilot purchased the airplane about 2 1/2 years before the accident; however, his logbook indicated that he had flown the airplane only once, for 5 hours, since that time. A witness reported that the pilot had expressed that he "did not trust his aircraft." Just before the flight, the witness heard the pilot say that the airspeed indicator was inoperative, but the pilot had declined his offer to borrow one and proceeded to takeoff. Given the witness observations and the lack of mechanical anomalies, it is likely that the pilot allowed the airplane's airspeed to decay during the right turn after takeoff and exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall/spin. Fire damage precluded functional testing of the airspeed indicator. However, the airplane's lack of a functional airspeed indicator, as reported by the witness, likely rendered the pilot with no, or possibly inaccurate, information regarding the airplane's airspeed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.