Accident Overview
An aircraft departed from Richmond Municipal Airport's runway 23. During the initial climb, as it accelerated to 48 knots, the airplane suddenly pitched nose-up and banked to the left. It subsequently descended and crashed in a corn field. All 42 occupants were rescued from the wreckage; three individuals sustained injuries. The aircraft was written off due to the damage.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined that the accident resulted from a stall during the initial climb. The stall was caused by a failure of the elevator tab control system. Specifically, the elevator swage fitting was binding on the bulkhead raceway at station 63, preventing proper elevator control. This binding led to a loss of control and the subsequent stall.
No other causal factors were identified. Details such as the aircraft type, registration, operator, and date were not included in the source material.