Amateur-built Sky Raider accident near Rappahannock Ac, Virginia, November 21, 2004
On November 21, 2004 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Sky Raider, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rappahannock Ac, Virginia (None airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The uncertificated pilot's failure to maintain airspeed, which resulted in a stall, and collision with terrain. A factor in this accident was the pilot's lack of total flight experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2004 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rappahannock Ac, Virginia · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Sky Raider
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing taxiing the airplane at a private airstrip, when it inadvertently became airborne. The pilot then elected to practice some approaches to the 1,400 foot-long, turf runway. He had been flying for about 10 to 15 minutes, and was in a right turn, at an altitude of about 150 feet, when the airplane "stalled." The airplane pitched down and impacted the ground. The pilot purchased the airplane about 2 years prior to the accident. He had not accumulated any flight time. The pilot had practiced taxiing the airplane for about 20 hours and intended to received some flight instruction at a later date. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any pre-impact malfunctions.
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
Pilot
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Rappahannock Ac VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway N, 1,400 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 8:40 pm from EZF, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.