Holmes William B AIR CREATION TWIN N4425L

Summary

On 17 March 2024 at about 16:42 local time, a Holmes William B AIR CREATION TWIN registered N4425L was involved in an accident near Gila Bend, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, 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

17 March 2024 at 16:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Gila Bend, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Gila Bend Muni (E63)

Coordinates

32.9601, -112.6736

Aircraft

Holmes William B AIR CREATION TWIN

Registration

N4425L

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24FA112

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of control and subsequent collision with a mesquite tree on approach to land.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-pilot-rated passenger in the front seat reported that he was in the process of purchasing the weight-shift-control aircraft from the pilot seated in the rear seat. The pilot was providing the passenger with instruction to gain flight experience and to familiarize him with the flight characteristics of the aircraft. Before departure, the pilot briefed the passenger that they would take off and fly in the local area then return to the airport to practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The pilot briefed that the passenger would fly the approach and that the pilot would perform the landing. The passenger reported that the flight was about 45 minutes and they had performed one touch-and-go. During the second approach, on the final leg of the airport traffic pattern, the passenger was on the controls, the pilot called out “my airplane” and took the flight controls. The aircraft drifted to the right of the runway centerline and overflew the unimproved desert surface that consisted of brush and mesquite trees. The pilot increased the engine power and maneuvered the aircraft to the left toward the runway. During the descending left turn back to the runway, the aircraft’s approach speed was fast, and the aircraft collided with a 10-ft tall mesquite tree, subsequently impacting the ground about 85 ft to the right of the runway surface. The passenger reported that the engine sounded strong, and there were no observable aircraft malfunctions before the collision with the tree. The nearest weather reporting facility, 5 miles from the accident site, recorded calm wind at the time of the accident. Postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have contributed to a loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.