- Date
- July 5, 2026, 10:08 local (15:08 UTC)
- Place
- Odessa, TX · Airplane took off from runway 20, per the airport manager. Airplane came to rest on a field on airport property
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N45889Cassutt Iiim
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 20, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Lubbock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260705006879A
- Case key
- 203322
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the initial climb, which led to an aerodynamic stall and a loss of airplane control at too low of an altitude to recover. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of recent experience in the airplane.
Findings · 7
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to familiarize himself with the experimental air racing airplane after the airplane had been in storage, and the pilot had not flown the airplane in over two years. The airplane was assembled by the air racing team, all the flight controls were checked, and the engine was run up. The pilot insisted on flying the airplane, even though the airplane maintenance records were not completed. The pilot had intended on staying in the airport traffic pattern. During the initial climb, witnesses reported the airplane’s critical angle of attack was exceeded, and the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. The airplane impacted a flat field with vegetation, on airport property. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and to both wings. The pilot, who was wearing an airplane flight helmet, was unable to recall all the accident sequence details due to sustained serious injuries. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45889
- Reported as
- Cassutt Iiim (RACER)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 227
- Built
- 1978
- Airframe hours
- 288
- Engine
- Continental Motors O-200, 95 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc. Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · July 6, 2024 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- ODO · Odessa, TX
- Destination
- ODO · Odessa, TX
- Airport
- ODO · Odessa-Schlemeyer Fld, runway 02/20, 5,703 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KODO
- METAR
- METAR KODO 051453Z AUTO 20007KT 190V250 10SM CLR 28/18 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP149 T02830178 52017 $
Docket · 10
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 20, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 34.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.