Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 N12DW

Summary

On 16 August 2006 at about 20:00 local time, a Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 registered N12DW was involved in an accident near Mojave, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 August 2006 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mojave, California, United States

Nearest airport

Mojave Airport (MHV)

Coordinates

35.0592, -118.1517

Aircraft

Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300

Registration

N12DW

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mojave → Mojave

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06LA262

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while performing low-level aerobatics that resulted in an inadvertent accelerated stall and in-flight collision with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane did not recover out of the bottom of a low altitude aerobatic maneuver and the airplane impacted the desert terrain in a flat attitude. The pilot had been practicing in the airport's local aerobatic box over several days for an upcoming air show. Witnesses reported observing the accident airplane performing low-level aerobatics. They watched the airplane complete one practice run, which included a maneuver that they thought was a Cuban 8. They stated that as the airplane came out of the bottom of the maneuver the nose was pitched up about 30 degrees, and the airplane appeared to stall (no forward velocity), which they thought was intentional. The airplane started its second run and was performing this maneuver when the airplane dropped below a parked MD-11 commercial jetliner that was about 0.5 nm away. The airplane had the same nose up attitude. They did not see the airplane contact the ground, but estimated the height above the ground as 100 feet agl before it dropped behind the MD-11. The witnesses heard the engine "run-up" after they lost sight of the airplane and observed a column of brown dust rise up from the accident site . Investigators examined the airframe and engine. The engine inspection revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airframe inspection included a detailed look at the elevator control system. Elevator travel was limited due to deformation of the belly and collapsed rear seat. All disconnections and breaks were attributed to impact forces.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.