The Great Lakes 2T-1 biplane departed from Bennett Airport (1N5) in Salisbury, Maryland. According to the pilot-rated passenger, this was the second flight of the day for the pilot and airplane. The pilot had completed a flight previously with another passenger that was uneventful.
The passenger, who was sitting in the front seat of the tandem airplane, stated that she remembered taxiing out to Runway 35 for departure, and normal engine operation to that point.
She added that during the flight the airplane felt “slow and mushy,” but thought that this feeling may have been because she was unfamiliar with the airplane. She told investigators that she was not flying the plane when the accident occurred and could not recall any other details from the accident flight.
The passenger from the previous flight watched the airplane depart on Runway 35 and make a right turn. Shortly after the right turn, he watched the airplane make a 180° turn back toward the airport. The airplane was descending and went behind trees where he lost sight of it. He then reported hearing a “thud” and saw a puff of dust in the distance. He could not remember hearing the engine due to his distance from the accident site.
The witness also recorded a video of the takeoff that concluded shortly after the airplane’s initial turn to the right. Strong engine noise could be heard for the duration of the video.
The airplane came to rest in a grassy open field about ½-mile northeast of 1N5, and the wreckage displayed damage signatures that were consistent with a left wing- and nose-low attitude at impact. The empennage was mostly undamaged. Both the pilot and passenger were seriously injured in the accident.
The pilot, who had 14,135 hours of flight experience, including 30 in the Great Lakes, could not remember the accident, but did recall some of the details from earlier that day.
Before the first flight of the day, he and both passengers completed a preflight inspection of the airplane that included adding 5 gallons of fuel to the single fuel tank. The pilot recalled that the airplane was holding about 20 gallons total of 100LL fuel and that he had filled the fuel tank from a gasoline canister that he kept in his hangar. The pilot also commented that the airplane had three gallons of oil in it.
The pilot was asked if the passenger flew the airplane on the first flight of the day and the pilot stated that they may have but he was unsure. He was unable to recall if the passenger on the accident flight was intending to fly the airplane.
A post-accident examination confirmed flight control cable continuity from the cockpit to all control surfaces. Examination of the engine did not reveal evidence of any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, resulting in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.
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This May 2024 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
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