- Date
- August 19, 1990, 17:40 local (Aug 20, 1990, 00:40 UTC)
- Place
- Marana, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3272UChristen/Walter Christen Eagle II
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900819033869A
- Case key
- 26545
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 loss of control by the pilot.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Witnesses reported observing the aircraft enter into a hammerhead turn, lose control and proceed into an inverted flat spin until it went out of sight. They reported the engine was at full power at the time. Visual weather conditions existed and no mechanical malfunctions were reported. The aircraft impacted the ground in a 60 degree nose down, wings level upright attitude. Both pilots were wearing parachutes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3272U
- Reported as
- Christen/Walter Christen Eagle II (CHRISTEN E)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- WALTER 0001
- Airframe hours
- 157
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-360-A1D, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Fred A. Leidig
- Registered owner
- Robert P. Keller
- Last inspection
- Unknown · October 26, 1989 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- E14 · Mardama/Aura, AZ
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
- 60
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 50 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUS, 40 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.