Were there any fatalities in the 3 Apr 2016 LAMB-ROBIN BOWERS FLY BABY 1A accident?

No fatalities were recorded in this accident.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 3 Apr 2016 involved a LAMB-ROBIN BOWERS FLY BABY 1A, at Guthrie, OK.

Pilot Reports Stall During Initial Climb, Unable to Recover

On 3 Apr 2016, a LAMB-ROBIN BOWERS FLY BABY 1A was involved in an aviation accident near Guthrie, OK. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and a collision with terrain. This summary draws on records from NTSB.

During initial climb, the airplane aerodynamically stalled. The pilot could not recover due to low altitude, resulting in impact with a field. Substantial damage to fuselage, right wing, and right elevator.

Accident Overview

During the initial climb, the airplane experienced an aerodynamic stall. The pilot reported being unable to recover the airplane because of the low altitude, leading to impact with a field off the departure end of the runway.

Damage and Findings

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, right wing, and right elevator. The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Safety Recommendation

As a safety recommendation, the pilot reported that using full power on takeoff would have prevented the accident.

Relevant Guidance

The Federal Aviation Administration has published the Airplane Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-3A (2004). This handbook discusses stalls and states in part:

"The key to stall awareness is the pilot's ability to visualize the wing's angle of attack in any particular circumstance, and thereby be able to estimate his/her margin of safety above stall. This is a learned skill that must be acquired early in flight training and carried through the pilot's entire flying career. The pilot must understand and appreciate factors such as airspeed, pitch attitude, load factor, relative wind, power setting, and aircraft configuration in order to develop a reasonably accurate mental picture of the wing's angle of attack at any particular time. It is essential to flight safety that a pilot takes into consideration this visualization of the wing's angle of attack prior to entering any flight maneuver.

Stall accidents usually result from an inadvertent stall at a low altitude in which a recovery was not accomplished prior to contact with the surface."

3 Apr 2016: LAMB-ROBIN BOWERS FLY BABY 1A — Guthrie, OK