What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) FAA inspector guido f. hassig arrived at approx 19:00 hours on 1/9/00. The local fire dept. Led by fire chief demitrus tatts, privacy data omitted was already on scene as well as the pender county sheriff's deptprivacy data omitted .the accident occurred at approx. 12:25 local time at the Topsail airport in town of hampstead, NC. The accident a/c was an amateur built slater a/c bearing registration number B656S. The a/c was operated by the owner mr edward scott lowe. The flight had been a pleasure flight conducted under the flight rules of 14 CFR part 91. No flight plans was filed and no weather briefing given. No ATC services were used. The winds at the time of the accident were reported as light and the sky conditions reported as VFR. The pilot was fatally injured in accident when a/c collided with trees shortly after take off. A/c destroyed. An examination of wreckage and interview of witnesses indicated that the accident occurred on takeoff. Mr. John young, the airport owner, reported that this had been the first flight since the a/c was recently rebuilt. The a/c documents indicated that it had recently been certificated and issued a spexcial airworthiness certificate. The father of the pilot, Mr. Cyrus lowe, phone number privacy data omitted, made a video tape which was viewed. The video tape indicated that a normal ground roll and rotation progressed to a shallow climb out. At about fifty yards past the end of the runway and no more than 100 feet altitude it appeared the pilot may have initiated a turn to the left which quickly resulted in a spin to the left. The a/c collided with a wooded area to left of runway extended centerline in a nose-low altitude. Engine separated from airframe and the debris field was consistent with a stall/spin sequence. There was no evidence of fuel in both tanks. Flight control continuity was not possible because of the extent of the damage to a/c. photographs were taken of the accident scene. The wreckage was lated recovered and the engine subjected to a tear-down inspection by Mr. John young.privacy data omitted He is also the holder of FAA mechanic ceertificate. No conclusive determination were reached during the teardown inspection. For details see mr youngs letter dated 2/9/00. (.4)on January 9, 2000, at about 1224 eastern standard time, a slater P-51, N656S, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR part 91 personal flight, crashed in the vicinity of hampstead, north carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from topsoil airport (01NC) hampstead, north carolina, about 1 minute before the accident. Witnesses stated the airplane was observed taking off on runway 3. The airplane became airborne about 1,000 feet down the runway. The airplane reached about 100 to 150 feet, started a slow left turn, the airplane appeared to stall, the left wing dropped down, the nose pitched down, and the airplane disappeared from view behind a tree line and crashed. Examination of a video of the accident by the FAA revealed a normal ground roll and rotation progressed to a shallow climb out. At about 50 yards past the end of the runway and no more than 100 feet altitude it appeared the pilot may have initiated a turn to the left which quickly resulted in a spin to the left. The airplane collided with a wooded area to the left of the runway extended centerline in a nose-low attitude. The engine separated from the airframe and the debris field was consistent with a stall/spin sequence. There was evidence of fuel in both tanks. Flight control continuity was not possible due to the extent of the damage to the aircraft. For additional information see FAA inspector statement. Visual inspection of the engine assembly and accessories by A&P mechanic revealed the engine was turning at high RPM at impact. For additional information see A&P mechanic statement. Postmortem examination of the pilot was conducted by Dr. C. L. Garrett, pathologist, coastal pathology associates. P.a. onslow memorial hospital, jacksonville, north carolina, on January 10, 2000. The cause of death was multiple deceleration injuries due to blunt trauma. Postmortem toxicology of specimens from the pilot was performed by the toxicology research section, federal aviation administration, Oklahoma city, Oklahoma. These studies were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol and drugs.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) FAA INSPECTOR GUIDO F. HASSIG ARRIVED AT APPROX 19:00 HOURS ON 1/9/00. THE LOCAL FIRE DEPT. LED BY FIRE CHIEF DEMITRUS TATTS, ^PRIVACY DATA^ WAS ALREADY ON SCENE AS WELL AS THE PENDER COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ .THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT APPROX. 12:25 LOCAL TIME AT THE TOPSAIL AIRPORT IN TOWN OF HAMPSTEAD, NC. THE ACCIDENT A/C WAS AN AMATEUR BUILT SLATER A/C BEARING REGISTRATION NUMBER B656S. THE A/C WAS OPERATED BY THE OWNER MR EDWARD SCOTT LOWE. THE FLIGHT HAD BEEN A PLEASURE FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER THE FLIGHT RULES OF 14 CFR PART 91. NO FLIGHT PLANS WAS FILED AND NO WEATHER BRIEFING GIVEN. NO ATC SERVICES WERE USED. THE WINDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE REPORTED AS LIGHT AND THE SKY CONDITIONS REPORTED AS VFR. THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED IN ACCIDENT WHEN A/C COLLIDED WITH TREES SHORTLY AFTER TAKE OFF. A/C DESTROYED. AN EXAMINATION OF WRECKAGE AND INTERVIEW OF WITNESSES INDICATED THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON TAKEOFF. MR. JOHN YOUNG, THE AIRPORT OWNER, REPORTED THAT THIS HAD BEEN THE FIRST FLIGHT SINCE THE A/C WAS RECENTLY REBUILT. THE A/C DOCUMENTS INDICATED THAT IT HAD RECENTLY BEEN CERTIFICATED AND ISSUED A SPEXCIAL AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE. THE FATHER OF THE PILOT, MR. CYRUS LOWE, PHONE NUMBER ^PRIVACY DATA^, MADE A VIDEO TAPE WHICH WAS VIEWED. THE VIDEO TAPE INDICATED THAT A NORMAL GROUND ROLL AND ROTATION PROGRESSED TO A SHALLOW CLIMB OUT. AT ABOUT FIFTY YARDS PAST THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND NO MORE THAN 100 FEET ALTITUDE IT APPEARED THE PILOT MAY HAVE INITIATED A TURN TO THE LEFT WHICH QUICKLY RESULTED IN A SPIN TO THE LEFT. THE A/C COLLIDED WITH A WOODED AREA TO LEFT OF RUNWAY EXTENDED CENTERLINE IN A NOSE-LOW ALTITUDE. ENGINE SEPARATED FROM AIRFRAME AND THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS CONSISTENT WITH A STALL/SPIN SEQUENCE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL IN BOTH TANKS. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS NOT POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE TO A/C. PHOTOGRAPHS WERE TAKEN OF THE ACCIDENT SCENE. THE WRECKAGE WAS LATED RECOVERED AND THE ENGINE SUBJECTED TO A TEAR-DOWN INSPECTION BY MR. JOHN YOUNG.^PRIVACY DATA^ HE IS ALSO THE HOLDER OF FAA MECHANIC CEERTIFICATE. NO CONCLUSIVE DETERMINATION WERE REACHED DURING THE TEARDOWN INSPECTION. FOR DETAILS SEE MR YOUNGS LETTER DATED 2/9/00. (.4)ON JANUARY 9, 2000, AT ABOUT 1224 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A SLATER P-51, N656S, REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE OWNER, OPERATING AS A 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT, CRASHED IN THE VICINITY OF HAMPSTEAD, NORTH CAROLINA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM TOPSOIL AIRPORT (01NC) HAMPSTEAD, NORTH CAROLINA, ABOUT 1 MINUTE BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. WITNESSES STATED THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED TAKING OFF ON RUNWAY 3. THE AIRPLANE BECAME AIRBORNE ABOUT 1,000 FEET DOWN THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE REACHED ABOUT 100 TO 150 FEET, STARTED A SLOW LEFT TURN, THE AIRPLANE APPEARED TO STALL, THE LEFT WING DROPPED DOWN, THE NOSE PITCHED DOWN, AND THE AIRPLANE DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW BEHIND A TREE LINE AND CRASHED. EXAMINATION OF A VIDEO OF THE ACCIDENT BY THE FAA REVEALED A NORMAL GROUND ROLL AND ROTATION PROGRESSED TO A SHALLOW CLIMB OUT. AT ABOUT 50 YARDS PAST THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND NO MORE THAN 100 FEET ALTITUDE IT APPEARED THE PILOT MAY HAVE INITIATED A TURN TO THE LEFT WHICH QUICKLY RESULTED IN A SPIN TO THE LEFT. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A WOODED AREA TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY EXTENDED CENTERLINE IN A NOSE-LOW ATTITUDE. THE ENGINE SEPARATED FROM THE AIRFRAME AND THE DEBRIS FIELD WAS CONSISTENT WITH A STALL/SPIN SEQUENCE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF FUEL IN BOTH TANKS. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS NOT POSSIBLE DUE TO THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE FAA INSPECTOR STATEMENT. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY AND ACCESSORIES BY A&P MECHANIC REVEALED THE ENGINE WAS TURNING AT HIGH RPM AT IMPACT. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION SEE A&P MECHANIC STATEMENT. POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION OF THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTED BY DR. C. L. GARRETT, PATHOLOGIST, COASTAL PATHOLOGY ASSOCIATES. P.A. ONSLOW MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, JACKSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, ON JANUARY 10, 2000. THE CAUSE OF DEATH WAS MULTIPLE DECELERATION INJURIES DUE TO BLUNT TRAUMA. POSTMORTEM TOXICOLOGY OF SPECIMENS FROM THE PILOT WAS PERFORMED BY THE TOXICOLOGY RESEARCH SECTION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA. THESE STUDIES WERE NEGATIVE FOR CARBON MONOXIDE, CYANIDE, ETHANOL AND DRUGS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.