- Date
- June 24, 2023, 20:00 local (Jun 25, 2023, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Arnaudville, LA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1836EDavid Brown/U Balldin/T Morgan Zenith Stol CH701
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA BTR FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230624009209A
- Case key
- 192731
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed resulting in exceeding the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall. The low altitude at which the flight was conducted contributed to the outcome.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings.
Analysis
The non-certificated pilot reported that he was flying low and slow over a field looking for a model airplane that he had lost the day before. He was returning to his private airstrip, flying low and slow over trees, when the airplane stalled. Before he could recover from the aerodynamic stall the landing gear contacted the trees, and the airplane fell to the ground. He reported that there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the airplane and that the accident was all pilot error. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1836E
- Reported as
- David Brown/U Balldin/T Morgan Zenith Stol CH701
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 7-5983
- Built
- 2015
- Engine
- Jabiru 2200A, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 150 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 77 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KOPL, 13 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KOPL 250055Z AUTO 21005KT 10SM CLR 31/25 A2995 RMK AO2 T03120245=
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.