- Date
- November 8, 1992, 16:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Guntersville, AL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N84EJBede BD-5B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921108045719A
- Case key
- 8703
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 inadvertent stall of the airplane, during the base to final turn, at too low an altitude to effect recovery. Factors were the improper lift off, which resulted in the airplane re contacting the runway after lift off, and served to distract the pilot during the turn to the final approach course.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After lift off from the runway, at about six to eight feet, the landing gear was retracted & the nose of the airplane pitched down. The airplane is equipped with a side stick controller & a manually actuated landing gear. The landing gear handle is located forward of the pilot in the center of the floor, between the pilot's legs, & is pulled aft to retract the gear. The bottom of the airplane contacted the runway which separated the oil cooler scoop. The pilot then entered a right hand traffic pattern. According to witnesses, as the airplane was turned from the base to final leg it stalled abruptly, rolled left more than once, and began a vertical dive to impact. Post crash examination of the airplane revealed fire damage and continuity of the flight controls. The pilot's handbook indicates that an accelerated stall will result in a left roll. It also states that a stall buffet will occur about 72 mph. The log book for N84EJ noted that the airplane had a clean stall speed of 80 mph, & a stall speed of 85 mph in a 60 degree one 'g' right turn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N84EJ
- Reported as
- Bede BD-5B
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- BD5-1939
- Airframe hours
- 111
- Engine
- Honda EB2, 110 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Johnson, Edward H., Jr.
- Registered owner
- Johnson, Edward H., Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 1992 · 41 hours before
- Departed
- 8A1
- Destination
- VPC · Cartersville, GA
- Airport
- 8A1 · Guntersville Muni., runway 2, 3,360 × 95 ft, macadam
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,608 total · 102 in this make and model · 1,504 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HSV, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.