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ERA23LA329

2023-08-09 · Holy Hill, South Carolina, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 5J5

Current FAA registration · N1624Z

Make / Model
EIPPER FORMANCE INC MXII
Engine
ROTAX 503 SERIES (52 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20070801
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A0FC18

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s exceedance of the critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at low altitude and a collision with a hangar. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of experience in the accident make and model airplane.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that the accident flight was his first flight in this make and model airplane, and he planned to complete a few high-speed taxi runs before deciding to takeoff. During the first high-speed taxi attempt, the pilot lifted the nose wheel up, and after riding on the rear wheels he increased engine power to “slightly lift off”; however, the airplane quickly climbed to 30 or 40 feet above ground level within a few seconds. Subsequently, the pilot reduced power to land, but the airplane immediately entered an aerodynamic stall and rolled to the left. The airplane continued to descend and impacted a hangar which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. He further added that he was unfamiliar with the airplane. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Total experience w/ equipment-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_ERA23LA329.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