- Date
- April 20, 1992, 07:11 local (11:11 UTC)
- Place
- Buxton, ME
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N519CSCraig Morehead Bushby Mustang II
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920420037009A
- Case key
- 37038
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 failure of the pilot to maintain airspeed while maneuvering which resulted in an inadvertent stall with insufficent altitude for recovery. Factors related to the accident were the low clouds and fog, and the pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing.
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 checked the weather prior to departure using tv; however, he did not obtain a weather briefing from flight service. He encountered low clouds and fog, and was observed making a steep bank turn with the engine operating at high power. In the turn, the airplane pitched up and disappeared in the fog, and a few seconds later a crash was heard. The airplane struck the ground in a steep nose down pitch attitude, striking some tree branches on the way. A check with the airplane designer disclosed the airplane has 'viscous' accelerated stall characteristics. Additionally, he said that in an accelerated stall, the airplane has a tendency to snap roll into a spin in the direction opposite of the turn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N519CS
- Reported as
- Craig Morehead Bushby Mustang II (BUSHBY MUS)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- M-II-1341
- Airframe hours
- 126
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Craig H. Morehead
- Registered owner
- Craig H. Morehead
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 16, 1990 · 126 hours before
- Departed
- B20 · Fryberg, ME
- Destination
- LAL · Lakeland, FL
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 227 total · 112 in this make and model · 195 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 41 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PWM, 12 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.