- Date
- October 17, 2023, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Greeley, CO · 40.424728 -104.637917
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N41DHDehavilland Tiger Moth DH 82A
- Defining event
- Initial climb: 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
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20231017016939A
- Case key
- 193262
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 decision to turn out early during the initial climb and failure to maintain adequate airspeed/angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with airport hangars. Contributing to the accident was the variable wind conditions above the hangars and the pilot’s lack of awareness of those conditions.
Findings · 7
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 and pilot-rated-passenger intended to complete a personal cross-country flight with variable wind about 6 knots at the departure airport. The pilot noted the windsock nearest the airplane indicated a tailwind, but the other windsocks farther down the runway indicated a headwind or crosswind. During takeoff, the airplane became airborne faster than expected and climbed well, so the pilot made an early right turn over airport hangars. The airplane’s upper wing slats fluttered which indicated to the pilot that the airspeed was low, then they “came out hard,” which indicated the airplane was near a stall. The pilot ensured the throttle was full forward and decreased pitch attitude to maintain airspeed but felt like the airplane “was being forced down.” Unable to maintain altitude, and with no suitable forced landing area, he maneuvered the airplane to collide with the side of a hangar and the ground, then it nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Airport surveillance video showed the airplane at low altitude and appeared to climb until it overflew airport hangars. The airplane maintained a climb pitch attitude as it descended into the hangars.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41DH
- Reported as
- Dehavilland Tiger Moth DH 82A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 84734
- Built
- 1941
- Airframe hours
- 2,766.8
- Engine
- de Havilland Gipsy Major, 130 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Voyager 180 LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 27, 2023
- Destination
- AFF · Colorado Springs, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- GXY · Greeley-Weld County, runway 10, 5,801 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 8, 2023
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,854 total · 16 in this make and model · 89 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 4-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 80 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Observed at
- KGXY
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 16, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 22.7 MB 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.
Other investigations on N41DH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.