ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 214053
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Saturday 4 August 2018 |
| Time: | 10:00 |
| Type: |  American Champion 8GCBC Scout |
| Owner/operator: | Gcaa, Llc |
| Registration: | N424A |
| MSN: | 553-2012 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2012 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3785 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-C1G |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Baldwin County, Foley, AL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Banner and glider towing |
| Departure airport: | Foley, AL (PVT) |
| Foley, AL (PVT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot was conducting a banner-tow flight with a pilot-rated passenger. A witness (a ground crewmember) stated that, after takeoff, the approach and pickup of the banner appeared normal and that the engine sounded strong. According to the ground crewmember, the pilot successfully hooked the banner with the airplane tow cable and initiated a steep climbout with the banner in tow. The trailing edge of the banner had just come off the ground when the airplane reached an altitude of about 300 ft above ground level. At that point, the right wing dropped. The pilot attempted to maintain directional control by releasing the banner and applying left rudder; however, the airplane entered a right descending spin to the ground. Postaccident examination revealed no malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane or engine.
It is likely that after the banner pickup and during initial climb, while the airplane had a high power setting, high pitch angle, and low airspeed, the airplane exceeded the critical angle of attack and entered an aerodynamic stall and spin from which recovery was not possible due to the airplane's altitude at the time. Even though the weight and balance were within limits for the accident flight, it is possible the presence of the back seat passenger reduced the airplane's performance, and that the pilot did not account for the effect of the back seat passenger on the performance of the airplane during the pickup maneuver.
Probable Cause: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack, which resulted in a subsequent aerodynamic stall and spin at an altitude that was too low for recovery.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=424A
Location
Media:
NTSB investigating today’s crash of American Champion 8GCBC in Foley, AL.
— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) 4 août 2018
USA - Foley, AL - Small plane crashes in Baldwin County, killing 2. https://t.co/on1oRg2pPa pic.twitter.com/Sx38JjV6Mz
— Planes Of Legend (@PlanesOfLegend) 5 août 2018
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Aug-2018 18:29 | Iceman 29 | Added |
| 04-Aug-2018 19:03 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 05-Aug-2018 00:40 | Geno | Updated [Location, Source] |
| 05-Aug-2018 06:40 | Captain Adam | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 05-Aug-2018 12:10 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Embed code] |
| 05-Aug-2018 14:33 | Aerossurance | Updated [Nature, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 06-Aug-2018 17:55 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 06-Aug-2018 18:44 | Geno | Updated [Location, Source] |
| 22-Apr-2020 17:00 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation