# Accident 20170722010009A: Applegate Thomas E PANZL S331E, Apple Valley, CA, July 22, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 22, 2017, 15:00 local time
- Place: Apple Valley, CA
- Airport: Apple Valley
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.6036° N, 117.1328° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.6036&lon=-117.1328&mi=10
- Aircraft: N331ST, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N331ST-2018-08-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Applegate Thomas E PANZL S331E (registry code 059004Y, https://openairdocs.org/model/applegate-thomas-e-panzl-s331e) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: APPLEGATE THOMAS E PANZL S331E
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 G1D5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,029 total, 190 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR17FA161](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17FA161) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170722010009A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

07/22/2017: APPLE VALLEY CA. 1500 HRS.  N331ST, PANZL S331E; CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES.  THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) WAS FATALLY INJURED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED.

THE PICS COACH EXPLAINED THAT THE ROUTINE WAS TO EXECUTE AN OUTSIDE 1 AND 1/2 SNAP FOLLOWED BY AN OPPOSITE DIRECTION ROLL.  THE COACH AND AN EXPERT WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE FOLLOWING: AS THE PIC PULLED INTO A 45 DEGREE  DOWN ATTITUDE,  SHE EXECUTED THE SNAP AND STARTED THE ROLL IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.  UP TO THAT POINT IT WAS ALL AS PLANNED EXCEPT THAT THE ROLL DID NOT STOP, THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO ROLL BEYOND THE NORMAL MANEUVER AT A SLOWER SPEED OF ROLL WHILE MAINTAINING THE 45 DEGREE ATTITUDE.  AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO SLOWLY ROLL IT IMPACTED THE GROUND.

AFTER EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT THE FOLLOWING WERE NOTED:

THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROX. 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT. THE ANGLE OF IMPACT WAS AT ABOUT 45 DEGREES.  ALTHOUGH THE AIRPLANE MAINTAINED ITS GENERAL SHAPE AFTER THE CRASH, MANY FRAGMENTS WERE SCATTERED IN A PERIMETER OF APPROXIMATELY 75FT RADIUS. THE PROPELLER AND HUB WERE NOT VISIBLE DUE TO BEING BURIED AT THE POINT OF IMPACT. IMPRINTS ON THE GROUND OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT WING LEADING EDGES WERE 3 TO 4 INCHES DEEP. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS CONFIRMED. AFTER TEARDOWN OF THE ENGINE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT NO OBVIOUS SIGNS OF CATASTROPHIC ENGINE MECHANICAL FAILURE.

AUTOPSY AND TOXICOLOGY REPORTS ARE PENDING.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR17FA161](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17FA161), Jul 22, 2017: Applegate Panzl S331E (N331ST), Apple Valley, CA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A fatigue failure of the left aileron control rod end during aerobatic flight, which resulted in the pilot's inability to maintain control of the airplane.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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