20180804009979A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · American Champion 8GCBC · Foley, AL · August 4, 2018

Date: August 4, 2018 · 10:05 local
Place: Foley, AL
Airport: Irwin Farms
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N424A
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA18FA208
Reported as: American Champion 8GCBC
Reported engine: Lycoming O-360-C1G
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,558 total256 in this make and model45 in the last 90 days

N424ARegistration cancelled Mar 5, 2022 · American Champion 8GCBCS/N 553-2012 · Built 2012 Airframe modelAmerican Champion 8GCBC Engine modelLycoming O-360-C1GReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Experienced ground crew witness observed aircraft pick up a large banner and climb steeply in a normal manner to raise banner from the ground. At approximately 300 feet AGL, at the top of the climb and as the banner was fully lifted off the ground, the aircraft banked momentarily to the right. The nose was observed to begin to fall and then the aircraft entered a flat spin. Pilot released the banner. The aircraft completed at least three flat rotations and then impacted the ground in a flat attitude at approximately 750' southwest of the banner pole location. Within moments the aircraft caught fire. Witness was unable to reach the aircraft in time to extracate either the pilot or passenger.

As the FAA filed it

EXPERIENCED GROUND CREW WITNESS OBSERVED AIRCRAFT PICK UP A LARGE BANNER AND CLIMB STEEPLY IN A NORMAL MANNER TO RAISE BANNER FROM THE GROUND. AT APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET AGL, AT THE TOP OF THE CLIMB AND AS THE BANNER WAS FULLY LIFTED OFF THE GROUND, THE AIRCRAFT BANKED MOMENTARILY TO THE RIGHT. THE NOSE WAS OBSERVED TO BEGIN TO FALL AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A FLAT SPIN. PILOT RELEASED THE BANNER. THE AIRCRAFT COMPLETED AT LEAST THREE FLAT ROTATIONS AND THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A FLAT ATTITUDE AT APPROXIMATELY 750' SOUTHWEST OF THE BANNER POLE LOCATION. WITHIN MOMENTS THE AIRCRAFT CAUGHT FIRE. WITNESS WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE AIRCRAFT IN TIME TO EXTRACATE EITHER THE PILOT OR PASSENGER.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA18FA208Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportFoley, ALThe pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in a subsequent aerodynamic stall and spin at an altitude that was too low for recovery.Aug 4, 2018 · Destroyed