What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The pilot privacy data omitted departed buckeye municipal airport (bxk) at 1045 MST. At approx. 1100 MST N101LX flew to an area 2 miles southeast of Arlington, AZ over the hassayampa river bed. A witness in a shed heard 2 loud pop sounds. When he looked out from the building he saw pieces of the aircraft falling to the ground. The aircraft was heading in an easterly direction. The debris field covered an area of approx. 3/8 mile long with numerous pieces falling into trees and thick vegetation. The engine was located at the FAR end of the debris field. Both wings departed the fuselage. The tail section, right main gear, center portions of the wing spars, and other debris were found together. The left wing was found intact, but the right wing was severely fragmented with internal structural members such as ribs, stringers, etc. Scattered in a wide area at the beginning of the debris field. The AN3 throughbolts attaching the fly wires and the ground wires brackets to the upper and lower side of both the forward and aft wing spars exhibit a tension load signature with a side load resulting in the removal of the bolt heads.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DEPARTED BUCKEYE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (BXK) AT 1045 MST. AT APPROX. 1100 MST N101LX FLEW TO AN AREA 2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ARLINGTON, AZ OVER THE HASSAYAMPA RIVER BED. A WITNESS IN A SHED HEARD 2 LOUD POP SOUNDS. WHEN HE LOOKED OUT FROM THE BUILDING HE SAW PIECES OF THE AIRCRAFT FALLING TO THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS HEADING IN AN EASTERLY DIRECTION. THE DEBRIS FIELD COVERED AN AREA OF APPROX. 3/8 MILE LONG WITH NUMEROUS PIECES FALLING INTO TREES AND THICK VEGETATION. THE ENGINE WAS LOCATED AT THE FAR END OF THE DEBRIS FIELD. BOTH WINGS DEPARTED THE FUSELAGE. THE TAIL SECTION, RIGHT MAIN GEAR, CENTER PORTIONS OF THE WING SPARS, AND OTHER DEBRIS WERE FOUND TOGETHER. THE LEFT WING WAS FOUND INTACT, BUT THE RIGHT WING WAS SEVERELY FRAGMENTED WITH INTERNAL STRUCTURAL MEMBERS SUCH AS RIBS, STRINGERS, ETC. SCATTERED IN A WIDE AREA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DEBRIS FIELD. THE AN3 THROUGHBOLTS ATTACHING THE FLY WIRES AND THE GROUND WIRES BRACKETS TO THE UPPER AND LOWER SIDE OF BOTH THE FORWARD AND AFT WING SPARS EXHIBIT A TENSION LOAD SIGNATURE WITH A SIDE LOAD RESULTING IN THE REMOVAL OF THE BOLT HEADS.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.