GAA16LA329

Factual narrative

On June 8, 2016 about 1130 eastern daylight time, an unregistered, experimental amateur built Mini Max airplane, impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from the Batesville Airport (HLB), Batesville, Indiana. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant sustained serious injuries. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot as a day, Visual Flight Rules (VFR) personal flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The flight was the initial flight of the day. The pilot reported that he was conducting a normal initial climb after takeoff when he noticed the controls were "lose and sloppy", the pilot decided to circle and land. Halfway through the turn the airplane's nose dropped and the pilot reported pulling back on the stick with little effect. The airplane descended into the wooded terrain about one quarter of a mile northwest of the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The Federal Aviation Administration has published the Airplane Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-3A (2004). This handbook discusses stalls and states in part: The key to stall awareness is the pilot's ability to visualize the wing's angle of attack in any particular circumstance, and thereby be able to estimate his/her margin of safety above stall. This is a learned skill that must be acquired early in flight training and carried through the pilot's entire flying career. The pilot must understand and appreciate factors such as airspeed, pitch attitude, load factor, relative wind, power setting, and aircraft configuration in order to develop a reasonably accurate mental picture of the wing's angle of attack at any particular time. It is essential to flight safety that a pilot takes into consideration this visualization of the wing's angle of attack prior to entering any flight maneuver. Stall accidents usually result from an inadvertent stall at a low altitude in which a recovery was not accomplished prior to contact with the surface. The pilot reported that, during the initial climb after takeoff, he noticed the controls were "loose and sloppy," and he elected to return to the airport and land. During the turn back to the airport, the airplane's nose dropped, and the pilot increased back pressure on the control stick with little effect. The airplane descended into the wooded terrain about 1/4-mile northwest of the airport, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot was likely unfamiliar with the airplane's handling characteristics, as he stated that he had not received any flight training specific to the accident airplane. It is likely that, during the turn, the nose dropped due an aerodynamic stall; the pilot's increased back pressure on the control stick exacerbated the stall by further decreasing the airspeed and increasing the angle of attack. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
• F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Training-Training with equipment-Pilot - F