Heath V-STRUT N9549

Summary

On 25 July 2023 at about 12:33 local time, a Heath V-STRUT registered N9549 was involved in an accident near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 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 July 2023 at 12:33

Classification

Accident

Location

Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Wittman Regional Airport (OSH)

Coordinates

43.9921, -88.5526

Aircraft

Heath V-STRUT

Registration

N9549

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Oshkosh → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23FA320

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after takeoff the pilot turned the airplane to avoid flying over the perpendicular runway. He reported that during the turn the airplane stopped climbing. The pilot aimed the airplane toward a field and attempted a forced landing. During the landing the airplane came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. One witness stated that the airplane “looked sluggish,” with the nose of the airplane high. Several witnesses observed the left wing dip before the airplane descended below the tree line. Security video showed the left wing dropped and the airplane impacted the ground in a left-wing-low attitude. A postaccident examination of the engine, flight controls, and related systems revealed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operations. The splintered damage to the propeller blade was consistent with power and rotation at the time of impact. The pilot also reported that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane at the time of the accident. Weather conditions at the time of the accident were conducive for serious icing at glide power. However, investigators were not able to determine if a partial loss of engine power due to the accumulation of carburetor icing during the ground taxi may have resulted in the loss of climb performance after takeoff. Given the witness description and the footage captured by the security camera, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb and turn, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall and a subsequent loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.