- Date
- June 22, 2012, 22:00 local (Jun 23, 2012, 06:00 UTC)
- Place
- Tyonek, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N466RVChampion 7GCB
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA Anchorage FSDO
- FAA report
- 20120622013369A
- Case key
- 84074
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall while maneuvering.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was flying his tailwheel-equipped airplane at 400 feet above ground level when he spotted two bears in a swamp. He said that, as he was turning left to look at the bears, the nose of the airplane dropped rapidly, and the airplane descended vertically. During the pilot's efforts to recover from the aerodynamic stall, the airplane impacted terrain, sustaining substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he was flying his tailwheel-equipped airplane at 400 feet above ground level when he spotted two bears in a swamp. He said that as he was turning left to look at the bears, the nose of the airplane dropped rapidly, and the airplane descended vertically. During the pilot's efforts to recover from the aerodynamic stall, the airplane impacted terrain, sustaining substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N466RV
- Reported as
- Champion 7GCB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 166
- Airframe hours
- 2,003
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hicks Stephen J
- Registered owner
- Hicks Stephen J
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 2012 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- Z41 · Anchorage, AK
- Destination
- Z41 · Anchorage, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 210 in this make and model · 100 in the last 90 days · 55 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 15 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 15, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 822 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.