Loss of control Accident Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG N46321, Saturday 29 September 2018

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Date:	Saturday 29 September 2018
Time:	17:00 LT
Type:	Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG
Owner/operator:
Registration:	N46321
MSN:	177RG1129
Year of manufacture:	1977
Total airframe hrs:	2101 hours
Engine model:	Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	La Verne-Brackett Field, CA (POC/KPOC) - United States of America
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	La Verne-Brackett Field, CA (POC/KPOC)
Destination airport:	La Verne-Brackett Field, CA (POC/KPOC)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The pilot and passenger were departing the airport; a witness stated that he heard backfiring during the airplane's takeoff roll. He then observed the airplane become airborne and the landing gear start to retract. About 1 minute 30 seconds after the pilot received take off clearance, the pilot requested a return to the airport due to an engine problem. The air traffic controller cleared the pilot to land on runway 8L, and the pilot subsequently initiated a right turn. The witness then observed the airplane descend to the ground in a nose-low attitude. It is likely that, while returning to the airport after takeoff, the pilot failed to maintain the proper airspeed, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall.
Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and the cause of the engine problem, as reported by the pilot, could not be determined.

Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and the exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during a turn, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was an undetermined engine anomaly.

Accident investigation: