Quad City CHALLENGER II N438RN

Summary

On 19 February 2022 at about 17:15 local time, a Quad City CHALLENGER II registered N438RN was involved in an accident near Mountain Home, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 February 2022 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Mountain Home, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Private Airstrip (None)

Coordinates

30.2494, -99.4655

Aircraft

Quad City CHALLENGER II

Registration

N438RN

Category

Airplane

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA127

Nobody was injured.

The non-certificated pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control at too low of an altitude to recover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-certificated pilot reported that during the initial climb after taking off, he lowered flaps and the airplane pitched up into a nose-high attitude. The pilot reduced power and attempted to land back on the runway, but the airplane exceeded its critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of airplane control at an altitude too low to allow for recovery. The airplane impacted trees and terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right aileron, the left wing strut, and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he had recently purchased and reassembled the airplane and had performed multiple takeoffs and landings before the accident takeoff. The pilot reported that the nose-high pitch after the flap application was “higher than expected.”

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.