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ERA13CA324

2013-07-17 · Woodruff, South Carolina, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SC00

Current FAA registration · N5815V

Make / Model
BOEING B75N1
Year of manufacture
1941 · 72 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING R680 (215 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19811014
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A77CBA

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s decision to initiate a stall maneuver at a low altitude, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and inadvertent collision with trees and terrain.

Factual narrative

After making a low pass over the airport, the pilot of the vintage aerobatic biplane initiated a “stall turn” in order to reverse direction. During the climb portion of the maneuver, the airplane “did not achieve the required altitude for a safe recovery due to the extra weight of [the] passenger.” During the descent and attempted recovery from the maneuver, the right wing impacted a tree and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground, and came to rest inverted. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the upper and lower wings, fuselage, and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. After making a low pass over the airport, the pilot of the vintage aerobatic biplane initiated a “stall turn” in order to reverse direction. During the climb portion of the maneuver, the airplane “did not achieve the required altitude for a safe recovery due to the extra weight of [the] passenger.” During the descent and attempted recovery from the maneuver, the right wing impacted a tree and the airplane subsequently impacted the ground, and came to rest inverted. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the upper and lower wings, fuselage, and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Incorrect use/operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_ERA13CA324.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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