- Date
- September 9, 2025, 15:35 local (19:35 UTC)
- Place
- Dover, DE
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8483KSchweizer G-164B
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250909014349A
- Case key
- 200980
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 exceedance of the critical angle of attack which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low to recover.
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 reported that the airplane became airborne prior to reaching the intended airspeed. He continued the takeoff and during initial climb, the pilot increased the pitch of the airplane in an attempt to clear a set of power lines. This resulted in an exceedance of the critical angle of attack and subsequent aerodynamic stall. The airplane impacted a set of trees and the ground resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8483K
- Reported as
- Schweizer G-164B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 708B
- Built
- 1983
- Airframe hours
- 22,040.4
- Engine
- Honeywell TPE331-6, 715 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Air Enterprises LLC
- Registered owner
- Air Enterprises LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 2025 · 147 hours before
- Airport
- 0N4 · Chandelle, runway 04, 2,533 × 28 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Stall warning system
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
- 34
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 25, 2025
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,888.9 total · 2,232.3 in this make and model · 2,825.7 as pilot in command · 325.9 in the last 90 days · 84.6 in the last 30 days · 6.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.22 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- DOV, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KDOV 091855Z AUTO 06009KT 10SM BKN042 23/14 A3022 RMK AO2 SLP237 T02260139
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.0 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 N8483K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.