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WPR23LA333

2023-08-31 · Three Rocks, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport N/A

Current FAA registration · N61373

Make / Model
AYRES CORPORATION S2R-T34
Year of manufacture
1996 · 27 years old at event
Engine
P&W PT6A SER (750 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19960531
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A7FD4C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The airplane’s exceedance of the critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and impact with terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that the airplane’s hopper had been loaded with 300 gallons of water. During the takeoff roll, the airplane did not accelerate as expected so he initiated the emergency dump procedure to jettison the water. The airplane became airborne and the pilot maintained a high angle of attack to climb over trees near the end of the runway. The airplane subsequently experienced an aerodynamic stall, descended into an adjacent field, and impacted terrain. The left wing, right aileron, and elevator sustained substantial damage. The pilot said he suspected the airplane performance was affected by density altitude and he reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Capability exceeded
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring equip/instruments-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_WPR23LA333.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

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