Clark 1000 accident near Warehouse Point, Connecticut, September 19, 2015
On September 19, 2015 at about 3:50 pm local time, a 1959 Clark 1000, registered N9018R, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Warehouse Point, Connecticut (Skylark Airpark airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to conduct the takeoff from a grass runway rather than a paved surface, and his decision to continue the takeoff after the airplane traveled into taller vegetation, which significantly increased the distance required to clear trees at the end of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 2015 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Warehouse Point, Connecticut · Skylark Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Clark 1000 NO SERIES, built 1959
- Registration
- N9018R · registry record · serial 10006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was taking off in the single-seat, single-engine biplane. A witness described that, during the takeoff roll on the mowed grass beside the paved runway, the airplane veered left into taller grass, but the pilot continued the takeoff toward tall trees. After becoming airborne, the airplane's pitch attitude was "much too severe," and it appeared to "run out of energy" as the wings rocked back and forth. The airplane settled onto the ground in tall weeds off the departure end of the runway, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. A video of the flight depicted a flight profile consistent with that described by the witness. Smooth, continuous engine sounds were heard well into the airplane's descent. The pilot's decision to depart from the grass runway rather than the paved runway increased the overall takeoff distance required, a distance which increased even more when the airplane traveled into taller vegetation during the takeoff roll. Rather than aborting the takeoff, the pilot chose to continue, and the airplane became airborne at a point from which it could not maintain a climb over the trees at the end of the runway. The pilot responded by increasing the airplane's pitch attitude, resulting in an exceedance of its critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall.
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 takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 684 hours in all; 0.1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,672 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 2014
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming R680 (piston); 3,672 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7B6 Warehouse Point CT at 3:49 pm
- Destination: 7B6 Warehouse Point CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,242 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.73 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 pm from BDL, 5 miles away
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.