- Date
- September 30, 1989, 09:10 local (14:10 UTC)
- Place
- Chester, CT
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2079AHancock MINI-MAX II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 11, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890930037229A
- Case key
- 36249
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 attain adequate airspeed. A contributing factor was the pilot's lack of flight time in the airplane.
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
The pilot was making his initial test flight of his homebuilt. After takeoff, the pilot turned to a downwind leg and leveled-off at 300 ft AGL to gain airspeed. The airplane settled into trees. A witness stated that the airplane was climbing steeper than he likes to see, and that the engine was 'screaming' until impact. This was the pilot's first flight in this type airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2079A
- Reported as
- Hancock MINI-MAX II (MINI-MAX I)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- MK70
- Engine
- Rotax 377, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harry P. Hancock
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- 3B9 · Chester
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 750 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.