What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft was taking off on runway 04 at approximately 8:30 am local AZ time with two people aboard. Witness statement describes observing the aircraft taxi from the ramp after two male individuals had conducted an extended preflight and climbed aboard. The canopy was open while taxiing from the ramp to the intersection of runway 04. Then a long engine run-up was conducted and the canopy was closed prior to taking position on the runway. Engine power increase to max power and sounded normal to the witness. The witness indicated they felt the take-off roll acceleration rate was ?under whelming? / not increasing in relation to the amount of engine power that was being produced.
The aircraft slowly began to gain speed, but was as still on the ground as it passed the midpoint of the field. At one point during the take-off roll the right hand wheel left the paved portion of the runway (indicated by dirt cloud observed aft of the right gear leg) but the aircraft corrected back onto the runway as it continued its roll. Then just past halfway down the runway it appeared the pilot jerked the aircraft off the ground in attempt to force the aircraft into the air. From that point the witness had to shift positions to see the aircraft which had disappeared from sight behind a tree near where they were standing. By the time they cleared the tree the witness observed the aircraft in a left hand bank, possibly trying to make a turn back to land. The aircraft was wallowing around without gaining altitude (approximately 50 feet AGL) when the left wing dipped and the aircraft descended sharply nose down into the ground.
The aircraft impacted the ground on the nose of aircraft, then flip over, and traveled some distance before coming to a halt. By the time the aircraft had come to rest there was smoke and fire coming from the aircraft.
The pilot was ejected thru the front windshield of the aircraft at the time of impact. The aircraft became completely engulfed with flames and the second person aboard perished in the fire.
The pilot was airlifted to the hospital with serious burns and life threatening injuries.
The post-crash fire consumed a majority of the composite airframe, thus erasing any mechanical indications of the cause of the crash.
Post-accident investigation of the engine was conducted. No substantial indications were found to indicate the engine had not been producing proper take-off power.
One anomaly was found during disassembly - when removing the left hand magneto from the engine accessory case: no castellated nut or stainless cotter pin was found. This hardware secures the impulse coupling drive gear onto the magneto shaft. After searching for this hardware inside the engine components, neither piece was found in the accessory case or the oil sump below. The magneto drive gear appeared to be properly meshed with the accessory drive gear at the time of removal from the case.
Discussion with a family member of the deceased second occupant revealed the history of the aircraft and the events leading up to the day of the flight:
This aircraft had been purchased by the pilot (third owner) in the spring of 2021. It had been stored in a hanger in the san diego area which belonged to the second occupant who was a friend of the new (third) owner. That individual had been storing the aircraft in his hanger for another friend (second owner) who had bought it from the previous owner in Florida. The aircraft had been flown from Florida for the first owner to the second owner in yuma by a ferry pilot sometime around 2011. After its arrival in yuma it had been left sitting out in the open at the yuma airport for several years in an unprotected tie-down spot because the owner was in the military and had been deployed out of the country. Owner two had enlisted the help of another friend (the second occupant in the accident) to disassemble the aircraft and take it to be stored in his hanger in san diego CA. The second owner then decided to sel
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT WAS TAKING OFF ON RUNWAY 04 AT APPROXIMATELY 8:30 AM LOCAL AZ TIME WITH TWO PEOPLE ABOARD. WITNESS STATEMENT DESCRIBES OBSERVING THE AIRCRAFT TAXI FROM THE RAMP AFTER TWO MALE INDIVIDUALS HAD CONDUCTED AN EXTENDED PREFLIGHT AND CLIMBED ABOARD. THE CANOPY WAS OPEN WHILE TAXIING FROM THE RAMP TO THE INTERSECTION OF RUNWAY 04. THEN A LONG ENGINE RUN-UP WAS CONDUCTED AND THE CANOPY WAS CLOSED PRIOR TO TAKING POSITION ON THE RUNWAY. ENGINE POWER INCREASE TO MAX POWER AND SOUNDED NORMAL TO THE WITNESS. THE WITNESS INDICATED THEY FELT THE TAKE-OFF ROLL ACCELERATION RATE WAS ?UNDER WHELMING? / NOT INCREASING IN RELATION TO THE AMOUNT OF ENGINE POWER THAT WAS BEING PRODUCED.
THE AIRCRAFT SLOWLY BEGAN TO GAIN SPEED, BUT WAS AS STILL ON THE GROUND AS IT PASSED THE MIDPOINT OF THE FIELD. AT ONE POINT DURING THE TAKE-OFF ROLL THE RIGHT HAND WHEEL LEFT THE PAVED PORTION OF THE RUNWAY (INDICATED BY DIRT CLOUD OBSERVED AFT OF THE RIGHT GEAR LEG) BUT THE AIRCRAFT CORRECTED BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY AS IT CONTINUED ITS ROLL. THEN JUST PAST HALFWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY IT APPEARED THE PILOT JERKED THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE GROUND IN ATTEMPT TO FORCE THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE AIR. FROM THAT POINT THE WITNESS HAD TO SHIFT POSITIONS TO SEE THE AIRCRAFT WHICH HAD DISAPPEARED FROM SIGHT BEHIND A TREE NEAR WHERE THEY WERE STANDING. BY THE TIME THEY CLEARED THE TREE THE WITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT IN A LEFT HAND BANK, POSSIBLY TRYING TO MAKE A TURN BACK TO LAND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS WALLOWING AROUND WITHOUT GAINING ALTITUDE (APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET AGL) WHEN THE LEFT WING DIPPED AND THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED SHARPLY NOSE DOWN INTO THE GROUND.
THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND ON THE NOSE OF AIRCRAFT, THEN FLIP OVER, AND TRAVELED SOME DISTANCE BEFORE COMING TO A HALT. BY THE TIME THE AIRCRAFT HAD COME TO REST THERE WAS SMOKE AND FIRE COMING FROM THE AIRCRAFT.
THE PILOT WAS EJECTED THRU THE FRONT WINDSHIELD OF THE AIRCRAFT AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT BECAME COMPLETELY ENGULFED WITH FLAMES AND THE SECOND PERSON ABOARD PERISHED IN THE FIRE.
THE PILOT WAS AIRLIFTED TO THE HOSPITAL WITH SERIOUS BURNS AND LIFE THREATENING INJURIES.
THE POST-CRASH FIRE CONSUMED A MAJORITY OF THE COMPOSITE AIRFRAME, THUS ERASING ANY MECHANICAL INDICATIONS OF THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH.
POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE ENGINE WAS CONDUCTED. NO SUBSTANTIAL INDICATIONS WERE FOUND TO INDICATE THE ENGINE HAD NOT BEEN PRODUCING PROPER TAKE-OFF POWER.
ONE ANOMALY WAS FOUND DURING DISASSEMBLY - WHEN REMOVING THE LEFT HAND MAGNETO FROM THE ENGINE ACCESSORY CASE: NO CASTELLATED NUT OR STAINLESS COTTER PIN WAS FOUND. THIS HARDWARE SECURES THE IMPULSE COUPLING DRIVE GEAR ONTO THE MAGNETO SHAFT. AFTER SEARCHING FOR THIS HARDWARE INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPONENTS, NEITHER PIECE WAS FOUND IN THE ACCESSORY CASE OR THE OIL SUMP BELOW. THE MAGNETO DRIVE GEAR APPEARED TO BE PROPERLY MESHED WITH THE ACCESSORY DRIVE GEAR AT THE TIME OF REMOVAL FROM THE CASE.
DISCUSSION WITH A FAMILY MEMBER OF THE DECEASED SECOND OCCUPANT REVEALED THE HISTORY OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE DAY OF THE FLIGHT:
THIS AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN PURCHASED BY THE PILOT (THIRD OWNER) IN THE SPRING OF 2021. IT HAD BEEN STORED IN A HANGER IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA WHICH BELONGED TO THE SECOND OCCUPANT WHO WAS A FRIEND OF THE NEW (THIRD) OWNER. THAT INDIVIDUAL HAD BEEN STORING THE AIRCRAFT IN HIS HANGER FOR ANOTHER FRIEND (SECOND OWNER) WHO HAD BOUGHT IT FROM THE PREVIOUS OWNER IN FLORIDA. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN FLOWN FROM FLORIDA FOR THE FIRST OWNER TO THE SECOND OWNER IN YUMA BY A FERRY PILOT SOMETIME AROUND 2011. AFTER ITS ARRIVAL IN YUMA IT HAD BEEN LEFT SITTING OUT IN THE OPEN AT THE YUMA AIRPORT FOR SEVERAL YEARS IN AN UNPROTECTED TIE-DOWN SPOT BECAUSE THE OWNER WAS IN THE MILITARY AND HAD BEEN DEPLOYED OUT OF THE COUNTRY. OWNER TWO HAD ENLISTED THE HELP OF ANOTHER FRIEND (THE SECOND OCCUPANT IN THE ACCIDENT) TO DISASSEMBLE THE AIRCRAFT AND TAKE IT TO BE STORED IN HIS HANGER IN SAN DIEGO CA. THE SECOND OWNER THEN DECIDED TO SEL
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.