# NTSB NYC93LA106: Henry J. Camacho Seahawk, N5857X, Orange, MA, June 8, 1993 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 8, 1993, 19:00 local (23:00 UTC) - Place: Orange, MA - Location: 42.5700° N, 72.2885° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ORANGE MUNI (ORE), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5700&lon=-72.2885&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious - Status: Completed, report June 30, 1994 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 38603 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC93LA106 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/38603/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC93LA106 ## Probable cause The pilot's excessive rotation and failure to obtain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall and inflight collision with the terrain. A factor was the pilot's inexperience in the type aircraft. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, takeoff - initial climb - rotation - excessive, pilot in command (cause) - lack of total experience in type of aircraft, pilot in command (contributing factor) - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled ## Analysis THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING THE INITIAL TEST FLIGHT IN AN EXPERIMENTAL AIRPLANE HE HAD BUILT. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES, DURING THE TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE LIFTED OFF, DESCENDED, BOUNCED ON THE RUNWAY AND THEN BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN. THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED TO A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, ROLLED LEFT, DESCENDED AND IMPACTED ON THE RUNWAY, WHERE IT CAME TO REST INVERTED, OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNAY. THE PILOT HAD NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN TYPE. ## Factual narrative On Tuesday, June 8, 1993, at 1900 eastern daylight time, an experimental Seahawk, N5857X, built and piloted by Mr. Henry J. Camacho, of Lowell, Massachusetts, struck the ground in a descent, after takeoff at Orange Municipal Airport, Orange, Massachusetts. The airplane was destroyed by the impact and post crash fire. The pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the flight operating under 14 CFR 91. Due to the serious nature of his injuries, the pilot was unable to complete the NTSB Accident Report. Mr. William D. Wicks, an Air Safety Inspector, with the Windsor Locks Flight Standards District Office, conducted an examination of the accident site. In a written report, Mr. Wicks stated: ...A review of the video of Mr. Camacho and N5857X attempting to takeoff, immediately prior to the crash revealed to several Aviation Safety Inspectors, assigned to the NE-FSDO-03, that the aircraft demonstrated significant instability at and immediately following rotation. This instability is strongly believed to be attributed to an excessive amount of aft CG [Center of Gravity] which caused the nose of the aircraft to pitch up rapidly and cause the aircraft to become uncontrollable. Investigation of the wreckage of N5857X revealed that all flight control cables were intact.... In a telephone interview, Mr. Wicks said that witnesses reported the airplane became airborne, bounced on the runway, and became airborne again in a nose high pitch attitude. The airplane then rolled left, descended, and struck the runway, coming to rest inverted, off the left side of the runway, and burned. Mr. Wicks also said the airplane maintenance records were on board the airplane and burned in the accident. According to FAA records, the pilot held a private pilot certificate and had approximately 300 hours flight time. According to Mr. Wicks, this was the airplane's initial test flight, and the pilot had no experience in this type of airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N5857X](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5857X-1993-09-08), registration cancelled 1993-09-08, S/N 111 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: HENRY J. CAMACHO SEAHAWK - Registry model: [Camacho Henry J SEAHAWK](https://openairdocs.org/model/camacho-henry-j-seahawk) (registry code 9570779) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 111 - Engines: LYCOMING O-320-B2C 160 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Part 91 - Operator: Henry J. Camacho - Registered owner: Henry J. Camacho - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Departed: ORE - Destination: ORE - Airport: ORE, Orange Muni, runway 19, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 60; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: left; flight hours: 300 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19930608017339A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19930608017339A), Jun 8, 1993: Amtrts SEAHAWK, Orange, MA, Destroyed. Pitched up and stalled on liftoff. Instability on liftoff indicates CG too FAR aft. First test flight of homebuilt From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.