Great Lakes 2T-1(MENASCO SPECIAL accident near Salisbury, Maryland, May 26, 2024

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot and pilot-rated passenger departed the runway in the vintage biplane for a local flight. The pilot and passenger each had limited recollections of the accident flight, but the passenger remembered that, during the flight, the airplane felt “slow and mushy.” A witness on the ground recorded a video of the airplane’s takeoff and initial turn to the right, and strong engine noise could be heard throughout the video. The witness described that, shortly after he stopped recording, the airplane completed an approximate 180° turn back toward the airport. He then saw the airplane descend out of sight behind trees before he heard a “thud” and saw a puff of dust. The airplane came to rest in a grassy open field and exhibited damaged signatures consistent with a relatively low-energy, left-wing- and nose-low impact attitude. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Given the findings of the postaccident examination, including the impact signatures observed on the wreckage as well as the passenger’s description that the airplane felt “slow and mushy,” it is most likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and subsequent impact with terrain.

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.