Amateur-built JA30 SUPERSTOL accident near Chelan, Washington, May 6, 2019
On May 6, 2019 at about 1:29 pm local time, a 2014 amateur-built JA30 SUPERSTOL, registered N825PW, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Chelan, Washington (Lake Chelan Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during the initial climb after takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2019 · about 1:29 pm local time
- Place
- Chelan, Washington · Lake Chelan Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built JA30 SUPERSTOL Undesignat, built 2014
- Registration
- N825PW · no longer on the register · serial JA 308-07-13
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a local flight. An airport surveillance camera captured the accident airplane departing from the runway and entering a nose high left turn. Shortly thereafter, the airplane's bank angle decreased, and its left yaw increased, and the airplane began to descend. A few seconds later, the airplane banked to the left, and entered a nose-low attitude just before impact with the ground. Examination of the engine and the airframe revealed no preaccident anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and spin at an altitude too low to recover.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 119.5 hours in all; 44.6 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 156.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 15, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 914UL (piston); 156 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Runway 20, 3,506 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 51°F (11°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on January 27, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6120 from Previous Accident (GAA18CA443) | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation (Last Time Pilot Flew) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Engine Exam (Rotech) | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Video File | video | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N825PW 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.