- Date
- September 24, 2011, 19:00 local (Sep 25, 2011, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lemars, IA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N29RTTompkins Tandem Rocket
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 22, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110924023429A
- Case key
- 81901
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 aircraft control while maneuvering.
Findings · 1
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 reported that as the airplane was climbing he started a turn and experienced slow aileron response. He stated that he encountered a gust of wind that lowered the left wing. The pilot reduced engine power and the ailerons were still not responsive. He then added engine power and attempted to level the airplane. The pilot was unable to recover the airplane from an unrecognized stall and flew the airplane into the ground where its fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane during the flight.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that as the airplane was climbing he started a turn and experienced slow aileron response. He stated that he encountered a gust of wind that lowered the left wing. He reduced engine power and the ailerons were still not responsive. He added engine power and attempted to level the airplane. The pilot said that he was unable to get the airplane out of an unrecognized stall and flew the airplane into the ground where it's fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane during the flight. The pilot reported that his last flight review was conducted in February 2006.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29RT
- Reported as
- Tompkins Tandem Rocket
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- TR001
- Airframe hours
- 29.9
- Engine
- HKS UNKNOWN ENG, 60 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Tompkins Robert Eugene
- Registered owner
- Tompkins Robert Eugene
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · August 25, 2011
- Departed
- LRJ · Lemars, IA
- Destination
- LRJ · Lemars, IA
- Airport
- LRJ · Le Mars Municipal Airport
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
- 42
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 17, 2006
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 89 total · 18 in this make and model · 89 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- LRJ
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 7, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 425 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.