Tom Dafoe (right) and son Will in front of the family Cessna 140 in Lubbock Texas. [FLYING Archive]
Key Takeaways:
The NTSB released a preliminary report on a fatal crash at the MayDay STOL event, which killed experienced pilot Tom Dafoe.
Prior to the accident, the pilot received two radio warnings to lower the nose of his 1946 Cessna 140 because it appeared to be flying too slow, but he did not respond.
The aircraft subsequently pitched up, rolled to the right, and entered an unrecoverable spin at 300 feet agl.
The incident occurred during an optional, impromptu STOL match due to gusting winds, after the formal competition was postponed, and no pre-impact mechanical issues were found.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report this week on the fatal crash at the MayDay STOL Drag competition at Wayne Municipal-Stan Morris Field (KLCG) in Wayne, Nebraska.
According to the report, before crashing, the pilot received two warnings to lower the nose of the aircraft because it appeared to be flying too slow.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
