TEHACHAPI, CA, USA
N6349T
The Old Hen Crow G1
The pilot reported that the accident occurred on the first flight of the experimental aircraft following a 2.5-year restoration. The climb performance was poor after takeoff and, after several shallow banked turns, he returned to the airport. He recalled that while approaching the airport he looked inside the cockpit and when he looked back outside 'the aircraft was going down.' The pilot reported having no prior flight experience in this type aircraft and there were no mechanical malfunctions of the aircraft. A sheriff's deputy told the Safety Board investigator that, at the accident scene, the pilot told her he had 'stalled the plane out.'
On November 16, 1998, at 0845 hours Pacific standard time, an experimental The Old Hen Crow G1, N6349T, was destroyed when the aircraft struck power transmission lines and crashed while approaching to land at the Tehachapi, California, Municipal Airport. The private pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that the accident occurred on the first flight of the aircraft following a 2.5-year restoration. He reported that the climb performance was poor after takeoff and, after making several shallow banked turns, he returned to the airport. He recalled that while on downwind leg for runway 11 he looked inside the cockpit and when he looked back outside "the aircraft was going down." The aircraft was not in a spin. The pilot reported having no prior flight experience in this type aircraft and that there were no mechanical malfunctions of the aircraft. A Kern County Sheriff's Deputy, who responded to the scene, told the Safety Board investigator that, at the accident scene, the pilot told her he had "stalled the plane out."
The failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient airspeed, which resulted in the aircraft entering a stall/mush flight condition that continued to impact. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the type of aircraft.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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