Amateur-built CHALLENGER II accident near Orange, Massachusetts, August 6, 2013
On August 6, 2013 at about 5:00 pm local time, a amateur-built CHALLENGER II, registered N94454, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Orange, Massachusetts (Orange Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of total flight experience in the accident airplane make and model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 2013 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Orange, Massachusetts · Orange Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II
- Registration
- N94454 · no longer on the register · serial CH2-0587-B-0256
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was departing for his first flight in the airplane. According to a statement provided by the pilot to the airport manager, the airplane was about 50 feet above ground level when the left wing dropped. The pilot reported that he attempted to correct the wing drop by manipulating the ailerons only; however, he was unsuccessful in leveling the airplane. He then applied left rudder while applying right aileron and the airplane began to spin to the left. The airplane impacted the ground in an approximate 10-degree nose down, left bank attitude, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. According to Federal Aviation Administration records and photographs of the Hobbs meter, the airplane had accumulated 8.9 hours in the 2 years since the pilot had purchased it. The pilot stated that these hours had been accumulated during taxi tests, and that the accident flight was his first attempt to fly the airplane. According to the pilot, there were no mechanical malfunctions or abnormalities that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 113 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 5, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 960 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 SCSI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORE Orange MA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: ORE Orange MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,801 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from ORE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.