14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, August 04, 2011 in Reedsburg, WI
Probable Cause Approval Date: 11/26/2012
Aircraft: REINBOLDT RICHARD A CHALLENGER II, registration: N340BR
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot and passenger departed the airport’s south runway for a local flight. Several witnesses reported that the airplane reached an altitude of about 300 feet, the left wing dropped, and the airplane descended and impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude. The airplane’s ballistic parachute system was partially deployed, but the airplane was too low at deployment for the parachute to fully deploy. An examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation. A handheld global positioning system (GPS) unit was located in the wreckage and downloaded. A plot from the GPS indicated that the airplane departed from runway 18 and tracked westward in a large circle before it returned to the airport. The track then showed that the airplane descended as it approached the airport from the southwest and was aligned with the runway at an altitude that corresponded with the runway’s altitude. The airplane then climbed to an altitude of 1,027 mean sea level (msl) (about 122 feet above ground level [agl]) and started a left turn. The final GPS point showed the airplane at an altitude of 1,035 msl (about 130 feet agl) and at an airspeed of 47 mph. Based on the events, it is likely that the pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed and the airplane entered a power-on stall during takeoff.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
On August 4, 2011, at 1115 central daylight time, a Challenger II, kit-built airplane, N340BR, impacted terrain near Reedsburg, Wisconsin. The two occupants received fatal injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged during the accident. The airplane was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight originated from Reedsburg Municipal Airport (C35), Reedsburg, Wisconsin, at 1025.
The responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors stated that several witnesses reported that the airplane reached an altitude of about 100 to 300 feet, the left wing dropped, and the airplane spun down; impacting the ground near vertically. It was also reported that the airplane’s ballistic parachute system, was activated, but too low to the ground to fully deploy.
The airplane came to rest next to a building, in an industrial area located adjacent the airport. The airplane remained in the vertical position, with the bottom of the fuselage against the side of the building. The airplane’s front cabin and fuselage area was crushed aft into the cockpit, both wings and the remaining fuselage sustained substantial damage. The inspectors also noted that fuel was present in the airplane’s fuel tank.
After documentation of the accident site, the wreckage was recovered and a follow-up exam was conducted at local hangar. The three-bladed propeller remained intact; the leading edge of the blades contained small nicks. The parachute system’s cord was partially wrapped around the propeller. The airplane’s fabric had been torn by impact, but otherwise appeared in good shape. Control continuity was established to the flight controls. The engine’s electric starter would not rotate the motor; however, it appeared that the starter sustained impact damage in the accident. The engine was separated from the airframe and shipped to a facility for further examination. A handheld GPS (global position system) unit was located in the wreckage and downloaded.
At the test facility, the engine was placed on a test stand. An adjustment was made to one of the carburetor’s slide mechanism to correct impact damage. Both ignition systems checked operational and the engine was rotated by the electric starter. The engine started and was able to produce power, without hesitation or problems.
The examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical anomalies.
The data obtained from the GPS unit contained a number of tracklogs dated from September 19, 2009, to August 4, 2011. Downloaded tracklog data included the following parameters for each recorded data point: index, GPS date/time, GPS altitude, distance from previous update [leg length], time since last update [leg time], average groundspeed during the interval [leg speed], average course during the interval [leg course], and latitude/longitude position at the time of the update.
Tracklog data recovered for August 4, 2011 was stored in the tracklog designated Session 35. Data related to this tracklog began at 1019:34 CST with a latitude/longitude position fix corresponding to the Reedsburg’s airport (C35). A review of the airplane's track showed the airplane departing the airport on runway 18. The airplane tracked westward, in a large circle, before heading back to C35, about 45 minutes later. The airplane then descended as it approached the airport from the southwest, aligning with runway 7 at C35. The airplane’s path tracked along runway 7, at an altitude that corresponded to the runway’s altitude. The airplane then climbed to an altitude of 1,027 msl (mean sea level), and started a left turn. The final GPS position location at 11:15:00, the airplane’s (ground) speed was 47 mph, at an altitude of 1,035 msl (approximately 130 feet above ground level).
The automated weather station, located 9 miles east of C35, reported at 1115, wind at from 220 degrees at 6 knots, temperature 82 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 62 degrees Fahrenheit, visibility 10 miles, scattered clouds at 3,200 and 4,200 feet, and an altimeter pressure setting of 30.02 inches of Mercury.
NTSB Identification: CEN11LA546
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, August 04, 2011 in Reedsburg, WI
Aircraft: REINBOLDT RICHARD A CHALLENGER II, registration: N340BR
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On August 4, 2011, about 1115 central daylight time, a Challenger II, kit-built airplane, N340BR, impacted terrain shortly after departing the Reedsburg Municipal Airport (C35), Reedsburg, Wisconsin. The two occupants received fatal injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged during the accident. The aircraft was registered to and operated by a private individual under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated without a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
In an initial report from the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors, several witnesses reported that the airplane reached an altitude of about 300 feet, the left wing dropped, and the airplane spun down; impacting the ground near vertically. It was also reported that the airplane's ballistic parachute system, was activated, but too low to the ground to fully deploy.
The airplane was recovered for further examination.
Two people died when a small plane crashed near the Reedsburg Municipal Airport Thursday morning. The plane nosedived into the ground against a metal barn shortly after leaving the Reedsburg Municipal Airport.
(Brady Ambrose, Reedsburg Times Press / August 4, 2011)
REEDSBURG - Two people died when a small plane crashed near the Reedsburg Municipal Airport on Thursday morning.
Reedsburg Police declined to release the identities of the pilot or passenger, though the aircraft is registered to a Wisconsin Dells resident. It was not clear if the plane's owner was aboard at the time of the crash.
The plane, a Challenger II single-engine ultralight, nosedived into the ground next to a metal barn behind Skinner Transfer and O'Reilly Auto Parts shortly after leaving the Reedsburg Municipal Airport at about 11:15 a.m. Eyewitnesses said the plane was trying to gain altitude when it began to wobble.
"It looked like it was trying to get up and it was wobbling like it wasn't sure of itself and then we heard the bang," said Brittani Pitt, who was heading into O'Reilly Auto Parts with her boyfriend when they saw the plane.
Britt Solverson - co-owner of Solverson Aviation, which operates out of the Reedsburg airport - said based on the accounts he heard from employees who saw the crash, a stall and spin may have caused the crash.
He said plane weight, wind and air density all could factor into such an accident.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Reedsburg Police Department are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board also will conduct an investigation.
Solverson said he knows three things for sure at this point, but also was still learning details about the crash.
"The flight originated from the (Reedsburg) airport, it was an ultralight aircraft and the pilot was someone from the area," he said.
Moments after she heard the loud crash, Pitt said employees from Skinner Transfer started shouting that a plane went down and that someone should call 911. Pitt said she, her boyfriend and employees began running toward the site of the crash, which wasn't easy to find because there wasn't any smoke.
Bill Hamburg, Pitt's boyfriend, was one of the first people on scene. He said it appeared that the pilot had sustained a major head injury and neither he nor the passenger was conscious.
"It's pretty bad," Hamburg said at the scene.
He said he heard the sound of "tin hitting tin" after watching the plane wobble and guessed that it may have glanced off the top of the shed and heading straight down from there.
"It folded them up," Hamburg said.
The wings of the plane were nearly touching the ground and the cockpit of the ultralight plane was located at a nearly identical depth with the wings. There was no fire or explosion, but a strong smell of gas cropped up almost immediately after the crash, Hamburg said.
Rex Hinze, an employee of Skinner Transfer, didn't see the plane crash, but he heard it. He said it sounded like the plane still was at full throttle when it hit the ground right before the loud bang.
Source: http://www.wiscnews.com
A pilot and a passenger were killed this morning when their ultralight aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from a municipal airport near Wisconsin Dells, authorities said.
Reedsburg Police declined to release the identities of the pilot or passenger, though the aircraft is registered to a Wisconsin Dells resident. It was not clear if the plane's owner was aboard at the time of the crash.
The plane, a Challenger II single-engine ultralight, nosedived into the ground next to a metal barn behind Skinner Transfer and O'Reilly Auto Parts shortly after leaving the Reedsburg Municipal Airport at about 11:15 a.m. Eyewitnesses said the plane was trying to gain altitude when it began to wobble.
"It looked like it was trying to get up and it was wobbling like it wasn't sure of itself and then we heard the bang," said Brittani Pitt, who was heading into O'Reilly Auto Parts with her boyfriend when they saw the plane.
Britt Solverson - co-owner of Solverson Aviation, which operates out of the Reedsburg airport - said based on the accounts he heard from employees who saw the crash, a stall and spin may have caused the crash.
He said plane weight, wind and air density all could factor into such an accident.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Reedsburg Police Department are conducting an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board also will conduct an investigation.
Solverson said he knows three things for sure at this point, but also was still learning details about the crash.
"The flight originated from the (Reedsburg) airport, it was an ultralight aircraft and the pilot was someone from the area," he said.
Moments after she heard the loud crash, Pitt said employees from Skinner Transfer started shouting that a plane went down and that someone should call 911. Pitt said she, her boyfriend and employees began running toward the site of the crash, which wasn't easy to find because there wasn't any smoke.
Bill Hamburg, Pitt's boyfriend, was one of the first people on scene. He said it appeared that the pilot had sustained a major head injury and neither he nor the passenger was conscious.
"It's pretty bad," Hamburg said at the scene.
He said he heard the sound of "tin hitting tin" after watching the plane wobble and guessed that it may have glanced off the top of the shed and heading straight down from there.
"It folded them up," Hamburg said.
The wings of the plane were nearly touching the ground and the cockpit of the ultralight plane was located at a nearly identical depth with the wings. There was no fire or explosion, but a strong smell of gas cropped up almost immediately after the crash, Hamburg said.
Rex Hinze, an employee of Skinner Transfer, didn't see the plane crash, but he heard it. He said it sounded like the plane still was at full throttle when it hit the ground right before the loud bang.
Source: http://www.wiscnews.com
A pilot and a passenger were killed this morning when their ultralight aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from a municipal airport near Wisconsin Dells, authorities said.
The craft, a single-engine Quad Cities Challenger II, took off from the Reedsburg Municipal Airport at 11:16 a.m., according to a statement from Reedsburg police.
The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately known, and police and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. The National Transportation Safety Board also will conduct its own investigation.
The craft was registered to an owner in Wisconsin Dells. Reedsburg is about 15 miles from the Dells.
Witnesses told the Baraboo News Republic that the craft appeared to wobble as it tried to gain altitude after takeoff. It then nosedived into the ground and collided with a barn. The pilot had suffered a serious head injury, those witnesses said. Neither he nor the passenger was conscious when employees of nearby businesses arrived at the scene.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com
Two people died when an ultralight plane crashed near the Reedsburg Municipal Airport Thursday morning.
The plane, a Challenger II single-engine, nosedived into the ground next to a metal barn shortly after leaving the Reedsburg Municipal Airport at about 11:15 a.m. Eyewitnesses said the plane was trying to gain altitude when it began to wobble.
The crash killed the pilot and passenger. As of late Thursday afternoon, Reedsburg police hadn't released their identities.
"It looked like it was trying to get up and it was wobbling like it wasn't sure of itself and then we heard the bang," said Brittani Pitt, who was heading into nearby O'Reilly Auto Parts with her boyfriend when they saw the plane.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the Reedsburg Police Department are investigating the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board will also conduct an investigation.
FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said the pilot didn't file a flight plan because he was operating under visual flight rules, which require only that a pilot be able to see and avoid obstacles.
Bill Hamburg, Pitt's boyfriend, was one of the first people on scene. He said he heard the sound of "tin hitting tin" after watching the plane wobble and guessed that it may have glanced off the top of the shed before plunging to the ground.
Authorities said more details would be released Friday.
Source: http://host.madison.com
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