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April 22, 2007, Windham, Conn., Piper PA-23-250

The airplane was destroyed upon impacting terrain at 1543 Eastern time. The Private pilot/owner and the Commercial pilot/passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. A witness heard it "sound as if it was taking off again." The witness stated the airplane was climbing away from the runway at an "unusually steep angle," and then turned to the left at a 50-degree angle from the runway, into the wind. As the airplane reached an altitude of approximately 200 feet, it "appeared to stop in midair, while still at a steep angle."

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Key Takeaways:

  • An airplane crashed after an unusually steep climb, fatally injuring both the private pilot/owner and the commercial pilot/passenger.
  • A witness observed the aircraft reach approximately 200 feet at a steep angle, where it "appeared to stop in midair," suggesting a stall.
  • After appearing to momentarily turn from its stalled position, the airplane subsequently rolled and pitched nose down, impacting the ground in a near-vertical attitude.
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The airplane was destroyed upon impacting terrain at 1543 Eastern time. The Private pilot/owner and the Commercial pilot/passenger were fatally injured. Visual conditions prevailed. A witness heard it “sound as if it was taking off again.” The witness stated the airplane was climbing away from the runway at an “unusually steep angle,” and then turned to the left at a 50-degree angle from the runway, into the wind. As the airplane reached an altitude of approximately 200 feet, it “appeared to stop in midair, while still at a steep angle.” The witness stated that the airplane then started to turn left, “from its stalled position,” and “appeared to start flying.” The airplane then began to roll, and pitch nose down until it reached a near vertical attitude, and impacted the ground.

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