Aircraft Mfg & Development CH 2000 N651AM

Summary

On 30 August 2012 at about 22:15 local time, a Aircraft Mfg & Development CH 2000 registered N651AM, operated by Peter Mrowiec, was involved in an accident near Nephi, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 August 2012 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Nephi, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Nephi Municipal Airport (U14)

Coordinates

39.7364, -111.8700

Aircraft

Aircraft Mfg & Development CH 2000

Registration

N651AM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Peter Mrowiec

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Provo → Provo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR12FA378

2 people died.

The pilot's inability to maintain airplane control due to an encounter with a microburst/downdraft that exceeded the climb performance capabilities of the airplane.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses observed the airplane operating in the airport traffic pattern. As the airplane turned from a crosswind to a downwind leg, witnesses estimated that the airplane was about 150 feet above ground level at a slow speed when it suddenly pitched downward and descended into the ground. Witnesses further stated that at the time of the accident, thunderstorms with strong wind, heavy rain, and lightning were arriving in the area. A regional radar mosaic for about the time of the accident depicted several scattered weather echoes with one defined cell of moderate-to-strong intensity just over the accident site. Archived lightning data for the time revealed seven in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning flashes within a 50-mile radius of the accident site; however, no cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were detected within 15 miles. The detection of lightning confirmed the presence of a cumulonimbus cloud in the area. Wreckage and impact signatures were consistent with a right-wing-low and nose-low impact. Postaccident examination of the airframe, flight control system, and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the witness observations and recorded weather data, it is likely that, as a result of the approaching thunderstorm, the airplane encountered a microburst or downdraft that exceeded the airplane's climb performance and resulted in a loss of airplane control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.