Riggs Skyraider 1 accident near Blounts Creek, NC
On May 6, 2004, a Riggs Skyraider 1 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Blounts Creek, NC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 6, 2004
- Place
- Blounts Creek, NC
- Aircraft
- Riggs Skyraider 1 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.461°N, 77.001°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040511X00589
NTSB summary
On May 6, 2004, at 1833 eastern daylight time, a Riggs Skyraider homebuilt experimental airplane, N321TR, registered to and operated by a private pilot, collided with the ground while turning base to final at a private airstrip in Blounts Creek, North Carolina. The personal flight was operated under the provision of Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from the same private airstrip in Blounts Creek, North Carolina, on May 6, 2004 at 1832. The circumstances and purpose of the flight are unknown. If the pilot completed a preflight inspection of the airplane and fuel system before takeoff are also unknown. However, according to a witness, the airplane was on a base to final for the grass strip runway when the left wing dipped and the airplane went straight into the ground. The airplane came to rest in a field with a nose down attitude, 100 yards northwest of the runway. Based on the GPS track data recovered from the airplane, the flight duration was one minute and twenty seconds. Examination of the wreckage site found the airplane in the immediate area, approximately 35 degrees in a nose down attitude. The engine was buried several inches into the ground and displaced aft into the cockpit area. Examination of the airplane revealed the fuselage was buckled, the empennage was deflected towards the right side, both wings had leading edge crush damage, the left wing ribs were broken and the right main wheel was separated. The exami
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in a stall. A factor was loss of engine power and water in the fuel.
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Browse: North Carolina
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
