Sonex WAIEX B N535D

Summary

On 15 November 2021 at about 18:30 local time, a Sonex WAIEX B registered N535D, operated by Air-Spaces LLC, was involved in an accident near Laveen Village, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

15 November 2021 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Laveen Village, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Hangar Haciendas (AZ90)

Coordinates

33.3492, -112.1296

Aircraft

Sonex WAIEX B

Registration

N535D

Category

Airplane

Year built

2018

Engines

1

Operator

Air-Spaces LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Glendale → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22LA035

1 person had minor injuries.

Failure of the rocker swivel assembly due to either wear or corrosion, which resulted in a loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported the engine began running rough during cruise flight, and the airplane could not maintain altitude. The pilot initiated a forced landing to an airstrip and during the descent realized that he was not going to make the airstrip, so he elected to landed on the desert terrain. The airplane impacted rocks and a barbed wire fence which caused the airplane to nose over, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, stabilizers, and ruddervators. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 exhaust rocker assembly swivel housing separated from the screw body, likely due to wear of the swivel and the swivel pad housing. This wear likely occurred because of either incorrect spacing between the pad and valve, or corrosion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.