# Accident 20230413003249A: Edwin Stafford JR ACE, Mammoth Springs, AR, April 13, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 13, 2023, 13:38 local time
- Place: Mammoth Springs, AR
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.3871° N, 91.4894° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.3871&lon=-91.4894&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5545, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N5545) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Edwin Stafford JR ACE (registry code 05634HG, https://openairdocs.org/model/edwin-stafford-jr-ace) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-235 series (registry code 41505, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-235-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: EDWIN STAFFORD JR ACE
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-235 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN23FA155](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23FA155) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230413003249A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT DEPARTED A PRIVATE AIR STRIP AT APPROXIMATELY 1300 CST, AND AT APPROXIMATELY 1330 CST, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING INTO AN ABANDONED ROCK QUARRY MULTIPLE TIMES. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO EMERGE FOLLOWING THE LAST PASS, MULTIPLE WITNESSES ENTERED THE QUARRY AND DISCOVERED THE AIRCRAFT HAD STRUCK THE FACE OF A 45-FOOT TALL CLIFF FACE, APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET FROM THE TOP; THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND PILOT WAS DECEASED.

## 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 CEN23FA155](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23FA155), Apr 13, 2023: Junior Ace (N5545), Mammoth Springs, AR, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s intentional flight into terrain as an act of suicide.

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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