# Incident 20260707009999I: American Aerospace Tech Inc AIRANGER, Buttonwillow, CA, July 7, 2026

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 7, 2026, 14:20 local time
- Place: Buttonwillow, CA
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 35.4092° N, 119.4407° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Buttonwillow, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.4092&lon=-119.4407&mi=10
- Aircraft: N647AU, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N647AU) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: American Aerospace Tech AIRANGER (registry code 06102GJ, https://openairdocs.org/model/american-aerospace-tech-airanger) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMERICAN AEROSPACE TECH INC AIRANGER
- Reported engine: HONDA GS190
- People aboard: 0
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260707009999I

## Narrative

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

THE AIRCRAFT WAS COMPLETING A LAUNCHER TEST WHEN THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A STALL SHORTLY AFTER LAUNCH. AIRCRAFT WAS AT MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT (220LBS). THE LAUNCH APPEARED NORMAL, WITH A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB AND INCREASING AIRSPEED. WITHIN A MINUTE OF TAKEOFF, AFTER INITIATING ITS CROSS-WIND TURN, THE AUTOPILOT (VIGILANT SPIRIT (VS)) HAD "FROZE," AND THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AFTER IT HAD CLIMBED TO APPROXIMATELY 180 FEET AGL BEFORE IT BEGAN ITS RETURN FOR A PLANNED IMMEDIATE LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT SLOWLY DESCENDED INTO A NEARBY ORCHARD. GIVEN ITS ALTITUDE, DISTANCE, AND AT MGTOW, THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT TIME OR OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE ANY CORRECTIVE CONTROL INPUTS TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT.

INITIAL ROOT CAUSE INVESTIGATION SUGGESTS THE MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT WAS IMPROPERLY INPUTTED INTO THE AUTOPILOT THUS CAUSING IT OPERATE WITH A LOWER STALL SPEED THAN REQUIRED. AATI WILL BE UPDATING ITS CHECKLIST AND TRAINING PILOTS AND LAUNCH CREW ON PROPER INPUTS TO MITIGATE THIS INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING AGAIN.

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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