- Date
- July 16, 2000, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Churchville, MD
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4425WWarrington Surrel Guppy
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000716040399A
- Case key
- 49701
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 airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Factors in this accident were an open canopy and a decrease in engine power.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After a normal takeoff and lift-off, the pilot noticed the engine tachometer indicated 2,900 rpm, instead of the normal 3,450 rpm. Additionally, the corner of the airplane's canopy became dislodged. The pilot was unable to secure the canopy, and felt he would have 'no problem making a gentle left turn to land on a parallel runway;' however, during the turn, about 50 feet above the ground, he became 'distracted and stalled' the airplane about 300 feet short of the runway. The airplane was equipped with a 4-cycle Kohler, model CH25S lawn mower engine. A hole was found in the right cylinder rocker box cover, and 'some debris and filings' were observed on the right cylinder exhaust valve.
Factual narrative
On July 16, 2000, about 1630 Eastern Daylight Time, a homebuilt Surrel Guppy, N4425W, was substantially damaged after it experienced a loss of engine power during the initial climb after takeoff from the Harford County Airport (OW3), Churchville, Maryland. The certificated private pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The airplane departed Runway 01, a 1,600 foot-long, turf runway.
The pilot stated that after a normal acceleration and lift off, he noticed the engine tachometer indicated 2,900 rpm, instead of the normal 3,450 rpm. Additionally, the corner of the airplane's canopy became dislodged. The pilot was unable to secure the canopy and felt he would have "no problem making a gentle left turn to land on a parallel runway;" however, during the turn, about 50 feet above the ground, he became "distracted and stalled" the airplane about 300 feet short of the runway.
Examination of the airplane was conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector. The airplane was equipped with a 4-cycle Kohler, model CH25S lawn mower engine. A hole was found in the right cylinder rocker box cover, and "some debris and filings" were observed on the right cylinder exhaust valve.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4425W
- Reported as
- Warrington Surrel Guppy (SURREL GUP)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 53
- Airframe hours
- 12
- Engine
- kohler CH-25, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John A. Warrington
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 0W3
- Airport
- 0W3 · Harford County, runway 1, 1,600 × 85 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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 92 total · 7 in this make and model · 37 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MTN, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.