No fatalities

25 May 2019: JIHLAVAN AIRPLANES SRO KP5 — East Haddam, CT

East Haddam, CT, United States

On 25 May 2019, a JIHLAVAN AIRPLANES SRO KP5 was involved in an aviation accident near East Haddam, CT. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain the proper airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During takeoff from grass adjacent to a runway, the airplane stalled 3 feet above ground, causing a wing drop and yaw. The landing gear collapsed and propeller struck the ground, resulting in substantial right wing damage.

Accident Overview

During a takeoff attempt from a grass area adjacent to a paved runway, the pilot receiving instruction reported that he held the stick back during acceleration after adding full power. He noted that the airplane did not accelerate much above the red line (40 mph). A bump was felt, followed by a bounce and a veer to the right. The pilot applied left rudder to correct, but the landing gear collapsed and the propeller struck the ground.

Instructor's Account

The flight instructor reported that during the takeoff, the angle of attack was higher than normal. The airplane aerodynamically stalled approximately 3 feet above the ground. The right wing dropped and the airplane yawed to the right. Both the instructor and the pilot receiving instruction attempted to recover with nose down, left rudder, and left aileron input. The airplane landed sideways, causing the landing gear to collapse and the propeller to strike the ground.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.

Mechanical Status

Both the pilot and flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Weather Conditions

The automated weather observation station, located about 4 miles southwest, reported that about 5 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 290° at 5 knots. The pilot was departing runway 14.

Contributing factors

PilotCapability exceededAirspeed — Not attained/maintained