What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Initial notification of an aircraft accident was perported to the FAA, memphis flight standards district office, through the reginal operations center. The report stated: Union City, TN: XA42, crashed .5 miles west of ucy airport for unknown reasons. POB: 2, injuries: 1 serious, 1 fatal, damage: extent unknown. 11/15/2023 1645Z.
Inspectors from the memphis flight standards district office responded on scene the same day at 1230 CST. Upon investigation it was discovered that the accident aircraft, an extreme air gmbh XA42, departed Everett-Stewart regional airport (kucy) at approximatly 1000 CST. According to two of the three privacy data omitted of the aircraft, who are also pilots, wittnessed the accident. According to their statements the aircraft had been flying for approximately 40 minutes.
There were two pilots onbord. The rear seat pilot was one of the three privacy data omittedof the aircraft. The front seat pilot was a hired instructor with intent to give all the privacy data omitted both an aircraft familurarity checkout and aerobatic instruction over a muti-day period.
During the accident flight, the aircraft left the area to a nearby airport for pattern work. Upon arrival back at ucy, the pilots were attempting to fly an avalanche maneuver in the approved aerobatic practice area established at the ucy airport. The maneuver was described as an inside loop with a 360 degree snap roll at the top of the loop.
The two privacy data omitted/wittnesses observed a normal entry to the loop. At the top of the loop, they observed a snap roll of 540 degrees to the left instead of the desired 360 degree roll. They estimated an altitude of 2,200 feet above the ground at the top of the loop going into the snap roll. Coming out of the snap roll right side up vs. the intended upsidedown, they described the airspeed as "slow" and observed the aircraft enter a spin to the left. The privacy data omitted/wittnesses described a brief recovery to the initial spin followed by what they thaught was a secondary spin that they did not recover from.
Ground impact was made 685 yards west of the midpoint of the ucy 1/19 runway in a solar farm compound adjacent to the airport. The aircraft was subtsantually damaged. Both pilots were fatally injured.
Initial scene evaluation:
The aircraft’s first point of impact and final resting place were one in the same. All aircraft major components were accounted for and were contained within a 50 foot radius of the main wreckage. Fuselage was mostly intact. There was very little fuel smell at the aircraft. The bottom third of the engine and propeller were imbedded in the ground, slightly nose down. Two of the three wooden propeller blades were snapped off, and not splintered. One propellor blade was fully intact. The top half of the engine starter ring gear was free of dirt and debris. Engine mounts and frame were completely broken upon impact. The aerobatic fuel tank was breached and there was no evidence of fuel in that tank, there was no fuel smell and no blue discoloration of the insulation surrounding the tank or on the ground under the engine. Wing tanks were also breached with no evidence of fuel present.
Flight controls:
Right aileron continuity could not be verified due to the wings and tubing on the right wing being severed on impact. Left aileron continuity could not be verified with the amount of damage from impact with the solar panels and ground. Elevator continuity could not be verified due to surface being severed upon contact with solar panels. Rudder push / pull rod was severed on impact, but continuity was checked & present.
Maintenance:
Aircraft engine, propeller and maintenance logbooks were reviewed. 100 hour and annual inspections were recently conducted, and aircraft determined to be in an airworthy condition.
As the FAA filed it
INITIAL NOTIFICATION OF AN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT WAS PERPORTED TO THE FAA, MEMPHIS FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE, THROUGH THE REGINAL OPERATIONS CENTER. THE REPORT STATED: UNION CITY, TN: XA42, CRASHED .5 MILES WEST OF UCY AIRPORT FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. POB: 2, INJURIES: 1 SERIOUS, 1 FATAL, DAMAGE: EXTENT UNKNOWN. 11/15/2023 1645Z.
INSPECTORS FROM THE MEMPHIS FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE RESPONDED ON SCENE THE SAME DAY AT 1230 CST. UPON INVESTIGATION IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT, AN EXTREME AIR GMBH XA42, DEPARTED EVERETT-STEWART REGIONAL AIRPORT (KUCY) AT APPROXIMATLY 1000 CST. ACCORDING TO TWO OF THE THREE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ OF THE AIRCRAFT, WHO ARE ALSO PILOTS, WITTNESSED THE ACCIDENT. ACCORDING TO THEIR STATEMENTS THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN FLYING FOR APPROXIMATELY 40 MINUTES.
THERE WERE TWO PILOTS ONBORD. THE REAR SEAT PILOT WAS ONE OF THE THREE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE FRONT SEAT PILOT WAS A HIRED INSTRUCTOR WITH INTENT TO GIVE ALL THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BOTH AN AIRCRAFT FAMILURARITY CHECKOUT AND AEROBATIC INSTRUCTION OVER A MUTI-DAY PERIOD.
DURING THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE AREA TO A NEARBY AIRPORT FOR PATTERN WORK. UPON ARRIVAL BACK AT UCY, THE PILOTS WERE ATTEMPTING TO FLY AN AVALANCHE MANEUVER IN THE APPROVED AEROBATIC PRACTICE AREA ESTABLISHED AT THE UCY AIRPORT. THE MANEUVER WAS DESCRIBED AS AN INSIDE LOOP WITH A 360 DEGREE SNAP ROLL AT THE TOP OF THE LOOP.
THE TWO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^/WITTNESSES OBSERVED A NORMAL ENTRY TO THE LOOP. AT THE TOP OF THE LOOP, THEY OBSERVED A SNAP ROLL OF 540 DEGREES TO THE LEFT INSTEAD OF THE DESIRED 360 DEGREE ROLL. THEY ESTIMATED AN ALTITUDE OF 2,200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AT THE TOP OF THE LOOP GOING INTO THE SNAP ROLL. COMING OUT OF THE SNAP ROLL RIGHT SIDE UP VS. THE INTENDED UPSIDEDOWN, THEY DESCRIBED THE AIRSPEED AS "SLOW" AND OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT ENTER A SPIN TO THE LEFT. THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^/WITTNESSES DESCRIBED A BRIEF RECOVERY TO THE INITIAL SPIN FOLLOWED BY WHAT THEY THAUGHT WAS A SECONDARY SPIN THAT THEY DID NOT RECOVER FROM.
GROUND IMPACT WAS MADE 685 YARDS WEST OF THE MIDPOINT OF THE UCY 1/19 RUNWAY IN A SOLAR FARM COMPOUND ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBTSANTUALLY DAMAGED. BOTH PILOTS WERE FATALLY INJURED.
INITIAL SCENE EVALUATION:
THE AIRCRAFT’S FIRST POINT OF IMPACT AND FINAL RESTING PLACE WERE ONE IN THE SAME. ALL AIRCRAFT MAJOR COMPONENTS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR AND WERE CONTAINED WITHIN A 50 FOOT RADIUS OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. FUSELAGE WAS MOSTLY INTACT. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE FUEL SMELL AT THE AIRCRAFT. THE BOTTOM THIRD OF THE ENGINE AND PROPELLER WERE IMBEDDED IN THE GROUND, SLIGHTLY NOSE DOWN. TWO OF THE THREE WOODEN PROPELLER BLADES WERE SNAPPED OFF, AND NOT SPLINTERED. ONE PROPELLOR BLADE WAS FULLY INTACT. THE TOP HALF OF THE ENGINE STARTER RING GEAR WAS FREE OF DIRT AND DEBRIS. ENGINE MOUNTS AND FRAME WERE COMPLETELY BROKEN UPON IMPACT. THE AEROBATIC FUEL TANK WAS BREACHED AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL IN THAT TANK, THERE WAS NO FUEL SMELL AND NO BLUE DISCOLORATION OF THE INSULATION SURROUNDING THE TANK OR ON THE GROUND UNDER THE ENGINE. WING TANKS WERE ALSO BREACHED WITH NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL PRESENT.
FLIGHT CONTROLS:
RIGHT AILERON CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE VERIFIED DUE TO THE WINGS AND TUBING ON THE RIGHT WING BEING SEVERED ON IMPACT. LEFT AILERON CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE VERIFIED WITH THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE FROM IMPACT WITH THE SOLAR PANELS AND GROUND. ELEVATOR CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE VERIFIED DUE TO SURFACE BEING SEVERED UPON CONTACT WITH SOLAR PANELS. RUDDER PUSH / PULL ROD WAS SEVERED ON IMPACT, BUT CONTINUITY WAS CHECKED & PRESENT.
MAINTENANCE:
AIRCRAFT ENGINE, PROPELLER AND MAINTENANCE LOGBOOKS WERE REVIEWED. 100 HOUR AND ANNUAL INSPECTIONS WERE RECENTLY CONDUCTED, AND AIRCRAFT DETERMINED TO BE IN AN AIRWORTHY CONDITION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.