Ratcliffe John A KOLB MARK3X accident near Charleston, SC
On April 1, 2010, a Ratcliffe John A KOLB MARK3X (airplane) was involved in an accident near Charleston, SC. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 1, 2010
- Place
- Charleston, SC
- Aircraft
- Ratcliffe John A KOLB MARK3X · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.701°N, 80.003°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100401X40822
Official records · ERA10LA199
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 1, 2010, at 1200 eastern daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built, Ratcliffe Kolb Mark 3X, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain while maneuvering, at Charleston Executive Airport (JZI), Charleston, South Carolina. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The accident flight was the first flight of the airplane and the pilot's first flight in the airplane model. According to witnesses, after starting the engine the pilot initially taxied onto runway 4 and did a high speed taxi to a point about halfway down the runway. He then turned the airplane around and back taxied down runway 4 and cleared the runway at the end. After about 1 minute the pilot reentered the runway for takeoff. The airplane then lifted off in a couple hundred feet. At first the airplane pitched up "steeply" then leveled off about 75 feet above ground level (agl). It then pitched up "steeply" again until it reached about 200 feet agl, and then it returned to a "less steep" climb angle. The airplane was next observed to make a right turn onto the crosswind leg of the traffic pattern at 300 to 400 feet agl, and then to turn onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern at 700 to 800 feet agl. The airplane then turned to the right, pitched nose down, and continued rotating to the right until it impacted nose first in a marsh located near the end of the runway. PERSONNEL INFORMATION According t
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model airplane.
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Browse: South 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.
