- Date
- September 12, 2018, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Bentonville, AR
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N868XAviat A1
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR go-around: Aerodynamic stall/spin
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180912013469A
- Case key
- 98290
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 airplane’s critical angle of attack during an attempted go-around after the airplane bounced, which resulted in an aerodynamic 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 reported that, during landing, the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced. The airplane then bounced again twice and veered left of the centerline, and he applied "stick back" to pin the tail down. He then applied full throttle to go around but did not relieve the back pressure on the stick. Subsequently, the airplane pitched up in a "very high" angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin and subsequent impact with the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, during landing the tailwheel-equipped airplane bounced. The airplane then bounced two additional times and veered left of the centerline, and he applied "stick back" to pin the tail down. He then applied full throttle to go around, but did not relieve the back pressure on the stick. Subsequently, the airplane pitched up in a "very high" angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin, and the airplane impacted the ground. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N868X
- Reported as
- Aviat A1 (B)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2351
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 1,513.6
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-A1D6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Summit Aviation LLC, doing business as Summit Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Oz Aircraft LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 24, 2018
- Departed
- VBT · Bentonville, AR
- Destination
- VBT · Bentonville, AR
- Airport
- VBT · Bentonville Muni/Louise M Thad, runway 18, 4,426 × 65 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- 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
- 47
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 9, 2018
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 150.3 total · 20.2 in this make and model · 57.2 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 10.5 in the last 30 days · 0.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KVBT
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 7, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.