- Date
- July 5, 2009, 17:55 local (21:55 UTC)
- Place
- Waymart, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N10232Thompson David Challenger
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090705011549A
- Case key
- 74201
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 during approach to land resulting in a stall.
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 departed from a private field and flew in the local area for approximately one hour. As he returned to the field for landing, he flew "right above stall speed" on final approach. The pilot reported that he "neglected to monitor [the airplane's] airspeed" and the airplane stalled during the landing flare. The airplane then dropped suddenly and impacted the ground just prior to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its fuselage, and no mechanical anomalies were identified.
Factual narrative
The pilot departed from a private field and flew in the local area for approximately one hour. As he returned to the field for landing, he flew "right above stall speed" on final approach. The pilot reported he "neglected to monitor [the airplane's] airspeed" and the airplane stalled during the landing flare. The airplane then dropped suddenly and impacted the ground just prior to the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to its fuselage, and no mechanical anomalies were identified.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N10232
- Reported as
- Thompson David Challenger
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- CH2 0794 CW 11892
- Airframe hours
- 366
- Engine
- Ama/Expr UNKNOWN ENG, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- James Parker
- Registered owner
- Gustin Darryl A
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 2, 2009
- Departed
- NONE · Waymart, PA
- Destination
- NONE · Waymart, PA
- Airport
- NONE · Private Field, runway 36, 700 × 75 ft, grass/turf
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
- 66
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Sport pilot
- Last flight review
- May 15, 2009
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 80 total · 49 in this make and model · 44 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- AVP, 27 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 21, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 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.