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CEN24LA015

2023-10-17 · Greeley, Colorado, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport GXY

Current FAA registration · N41DH

Make / Model
DEHAVILLAND TIGER MOTH DH 82A
Year of manufacture
1972 · 51 years old at event
Engine
DEHAV ENG GIPSY MAJOR (140 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19720211
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A4D21A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s decision to turn out early during the initial climb and failure to maintain adequate airspeed/angle-of-attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and impact with airport hangars. Contributing to the accident was the variable wind conditions above the hangars and the pilot’s lack of awareness of those conditions.

Factual narrative

The pilot and pilot-rated-passenger intended to complete a personal cross-country flight with variable wind about 6 knots at the departure airport. The pilot noted the windsock nearest the airplane indicated a tailwind, but the other windsocks farther down the runway indicated a headwind or crosswind. During takeoff, the airplane became airborne faster than expected and climbed well, so the pilot made an early right turn over airport hangars. The airplane’s upper wing slats fluttered which indicated to the pilot that the airspeed was low, then they “came out hard,” which indicated the airplane was near a stall. The pilot ensured the throttle was full forward and decreased pitch attitude to maintain airspeed but felt like the airplane “was being forced down.” Unable to maintain altitude, and with no suitable forced landing area, he maneuvered the airplane to collide with the side of a hangar and the ground, then it nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Airport surveillance video showed the airplane at low altitude and appeared to climb until it overflew airport hangars. The airplane maintained a climb pitch attitude as it descended into the hangars. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Effect on equipment
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Awareness of condition
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Awareness of condition

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN24LA015.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall). All research papers