Extra Flugzeugrau EA 300/L N609JW

Summary

On 9 July 2004 at about 00:30 local time, a Extra Flugzeugrau EA 300/L registered N609JW, operated by Steven R. Appleton, was involved in an accident near Boise, Idaho, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 July 2004 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Boise, Idaho, United States

Coordinates

43.4228, -116.2231

Aircraft

Extra Flugzeugrau EA 300/L

Registration

N609JW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Steven R. Appleton

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Boise → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA04FA127

2 people were seriously injured.

The failure of the pilot to maintain clearance with terrain during descent while conducting an aerobatic maneuver. Low altitude flight was a factor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing a variety of aerobatic maneuvers in a low level aerobatic box over flat desert terrain. Two cameras positioned to document the flight sequence revealed the pilot initiated a loop maneuver by pulling the nose of the airplane up into a vertical climb attitude and continuing to the top of the maneuver until in an inverted position. The pilot continued the maneuver by descending on the back side of the loop. As the aircraft was approaching the bottom of the maneuver in an approximately 20 degree nose down, wings level attitude at an altitude of less than 100 feet above ground level, the airplane was observed to make a quick shallow left bank, followed immediately by a second shallow bank to the right. The airplane's wings then momentarily returned to a level attitude before impacting flat open terrain with its right main landing gear and right wing tip. The pilot said he couldn't remember the specific maneuver prior to making contact with the ground, and could not recall being concerned with not having enough clearance to complete the maneuver. A post accident examination of the airplane failed to reveal any anomalies which would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.