AOPA’s Air Safety Institute Releases Analysis Video on Crash that Killed Richard McSpadden and Russ Francis

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) published its final report on the crash yesterday.

The NTSB has concluded that the probable cause was, “A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight weight and balance planning and his aggressive low-altitude maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control.”

“Now that the NTSB has published its final report, we felt it appropriate to analyze this accident, bring clarity to two years of speculation, and most importantly, offer what general aviation pilots can take away from the events that took place that day,” ASI senior vice president Mike Ginter said. Ginter succeeded McSpadden as SVP of the Air Safety Institute.

Francis, who owned the accident aircraft through a company, had 9,000 hours of aeronautical experience, while McSpadden had about 5,800 hours. They were setting up for a photo formation flight with a Beechcraft Bonanza A36. According to the NTSB report, the owner was to fly it during the takeoff and climb-out, and after joining up into the formation, the pilot-rated passenger was to take over the controls and fly the airplane during the photo shoot.

The Bonanza departed from runway 32 at Lake Placid Airport (LKP) first, with the Cardinal about 700 feet behind. During its departure, the Cardinal appeared to have an engine issue of some kind.

“The accident airplane suddenly made a hard right turn in the direction of the airport,” the NTSB report said. “During the turn, the pilot of the Beech heard the pilot-rated passenger transmit on the common traffic advisory frequency something similar to, ‘we have a problem and we’re returning to the airport.’”

13 seconds later, the aircraft impacted a steep embankment in a right-wing, nose-low attitude about 15 feet below the top of a plateau on airport property, the report added. “The pilot’s subsequent aggressive use of the flight controls to turn back to the airport ultimately resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and entering an aerodynamic stall at an altitude from which a safe recovery by the pilot was not possible.”

During its short flight—which an on-board GPS unit logged at just one minute and two seconds from the time the Cardinal lined up on runway 32 to the impact—the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 1,929 feet mean sea level, or 183 feet above ground level over the field.

“The NTSB did an extensive post-crash assessment of the aircraft’s engine. There were no discrepancies found with the propeller, cylinders, magnetos, or any other system that could impact engine operation,” Ginter said. “They could not conclusively determine why the aircraft was producing partial power.”

The 180-degree turnback to the runway, as attempted in Lake Placid, is a risky maneuver performed close to the ground that, in reality, involves more than 180 degrees of turning, and many factors contribute to a successful outcome.

In 2021, an ASI test of four different aircraft showed that the maneuver can be performed successfully under certain conditions but may not be a wise choice for pilots. The turn “is a viable option in certain aircraft, in the right conditions, and when flown by proficient pilots who have trained for the maneuver,” McSpadden narrates in the video called “Reality Check: The runway behind you.”

The full NTSB final report of this accident can be downloaded here.

“We continue to grieve the loss of Russ Francis and Richard McSpadden, and our thoughts and prayers go out to their families,” Ginter said. “It was Richard who created this Early Analysis video series and by publishing this episode, we honor his memory.”

View the video here.

View other Early Analysis videos here.