- Date
- January 20, 2006, 17:07 local (22:07 UTC)
- Place
- Churchville, MD
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1923SRenquist Starduster SA300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20060120011749A
- Case key
- 63136
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 takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.
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
Witnesses observed the airplane "climbing like a rocket" during takeoff. As the airplane reached an altitude of approximately 70 feet, it banked to the left, then to the right, and then descended to the ground. The airplane impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude, resulting in substantial damage. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical deficiencies with the airframe or engine.
Factual narrative
On January 20, 2006, at 1707 eastern standard time, an amateur-built Starduster SA300, N1923S, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground, after takeoff from the Harford County Airport (0W3), Churchville, Maryland. The certificated commercial pilot was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight destined for the Martin State Airport (MTN), Baltimore, Maryland. A visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed, and the flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who examined the airplane after the accident, witnesses observed the airplane "climbing like a rocket" during takeoff from runway 28. As the airplane reached an altitude of approximately 70 feet, it banked to the left, then to the right, and then descended to the ground. The airplane impacted the ground in a nose-low attitude, resulting in substantial damage.
Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed no mechanical deficiencies with the airframe or engine.
The pilot failed to respond to numerous requests for his statement regarding the accident.
The winds reported at an airport 18 miles to the southwest, at 1645, were from 110 degrees at 6 knots. Witnesses at the Harford Airport reported that at the time of the accident, there was a 5-8 knot, "90-degree crosswind" for runway 28.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1923S
- Reported as
- Renquist Starduster SA300
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1786
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Steven Kim
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 0W3 · Churchville, MD
- Destination
- MTN · Martin State, MD
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 0W3 · Harford County Airport, runway 28, 2,000 × 40 ft, asphalt
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
- 48
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 2,600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- MTN, 18 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.
Other investigations on N1923S · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.