Event WPR19FA133

Factual narrative

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 6, 2019, at 0629 Pacific daylight time, a Just Aircraft LLC JA30 Superstol airplane, N825PW, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Chelan, Washington. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. A Lake Chelan Airport (S10), Chelan, Washington, airport surveillance camera captured the accident airplane departing from runway 20. As the airplane started to accelerate, the left main landing gear briefly lifted off the runway surface, then contacted the runway again. Shortly thereafter, the airplane became airborne, and entered a nose-high left turn. About 8 seconds after takeoff, the airplane's bank angle decreased; however, its left yaw increased, and the airplane began to descend. About 3 seconds later, the airplane banked to the left and entered a nose-low attitude just before impact with the ground. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONThe accident site was located about 550 ft from the approach end of runway 20 on a heading of 157°. The airplane impacted terrain in a vertical nose-down attitude. Most of the airplane was consumed by the postcrash fire. The left and right wings, horizontal stabilizers, elevators, vertical stabilizer, and rudder remained secure to their respective attach points. Flight control cable continuity was established from the control surfaces to the cockpit area. Examination of the engine and the airframe revealed no pre-accident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. ADDITIONAL INFORMATIONAbout 10 months earlier, the airplane was substantially damaged when it impacted a dock while the pilot was landing on an airstrip next to a river (NTSB Accident No. GAA18CA443). A friend of the pilot reported that the accident flight was the first flight since the airplane had been repaired. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe Chelan County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy of the pilot. The autopsy report stated that the pilot's cause of death was inhalation of products of combustion and thermal injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration's Forensic Sciences Laboratory conducted toxicology tests on specimens from the pilot. The results were negative for all tests performed. The pilot was conducting a local flight. An airport surveillance camera captured the accident airplane departing from the runway and entering a nose high left turn. Shortly thereafter, the airplane's bank angle decreased, and its left yaw increased, and the airplane began to descend. A few seconds later, the airplane banked to the left, and entered a nose-low attitude just before impact with the ground. Examination of the engine and the airframe revealed no preaccident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and spin at an altitude too low to recover. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained
• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot