# Accident 20210305001749A: Aermacchi IMPALA MB-326M, Edwards, CA, March 5, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 5, 2021, 10:04 local time
- Place: Edwards, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.9189° N, 118.0384° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.9189&lon=-118.0384&mi=10
- Aircraft: N155TP, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N155TP-2021-08-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Aermacchi IMPALA MB-326M (registry code 5400110, https://openairdocs.org/model/aermacchi-impala-mb-326m) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rolls-Royce VIPER MK22-1 (registry code 54229, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-viper-mk22-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AERMACCHI IMPALA MB-326M
- Reported engine: ROLLS-ROYC VIPER MK22-1
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 4,200 total, 48 in this make and model, 17 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR21LA123](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA123) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210305001749A

## Narrative

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

ON MARCH 5, 2021, AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 PST, ACCIDENT PILOT AND STUDENT (BELGIAN AIR FORCE, NON FAA CERTIFICATED) DEPARTED KMHV, MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA, FOR US RESTRICTED AIRSPACE R-2508 COMPLEX, WITHIN R-2515, IN THE UPPER MOJAVE DESERT REGION, OF CALIFORNIA. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO PERFORM SCHEDULED SPIN RECOVERY TRAINING, PROVIDED TO THE STUDENT BY THE NATIONAL TEST PILOT SCHOOL. THE ACCIDENT SITE IS LOCATED WITHIN THE GENERAL AREA OF EDWARDS, CA, WITHIN KERN COUNTY.

PER THE AIRMEN?S WRITTEN STATEMENTS, THE ACCIDENT MANEUVER WAS THE SECOND OF THREE PLANNED MANEUVERS; THE FIRST BEING SUCCESSFUL. A STALL WAS INITIATED AT 22,000 FEET, AND THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED INTO A LEFT-INVERTED SPIN. AFTER UNSUCCESFUL ATTEMPTS TO RECOVER, THE AIRMEN EJECTED THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT AT 12,000 FEET. THE PIC SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT SPINAL FRACTURE; THE SIC WAS UNINJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED UPON IMPACT; AND INVOLVED IN A POST-IMPACT FIRE. FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED.

## 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 WPR21LA123](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA123), Mar 5, 2021: Aermacchi Impala MB-326M (N155TP), Edwards, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: The flight crew’s restricted rudder inputs while in an inverted spin that precluded spin recovery.

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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