# NTSB WPR22FA012: Rockwell 112, N112LS, Three Points, AZ, October 17, 2021 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report - Date: October 17, 2021, 14:02 local (21:02 UTC) - Place: Three Points, AZ · 85735 - Coordinates: 31.913075, -111.42966 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.9131&lon=-111.4297&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: FAA-FSDO, Lycoming Engines - NTSB case key (mKey): 104111 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR22FA012 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/104111/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104111 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR22FA012 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to maintain proper airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and the airplane entering an aerodynamic stall. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot; cases with it: [Rockwell International 112B, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=7630303), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot; cases with it: [Rockwell International 112B, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=7630303), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: airspeed](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Rockwell International 112B, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010/cases.md?model=7630303), [All aircraft, 1,681 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Rockwell International 112B, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=7630303), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Maneuvering: Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241); cases with it: [Rockwell International 112B, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md?model=7630303), [All aircraft, 1,529 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was conducting a personal training flight for an upcoming flight review. Flight track data revealed that shortly after departure the airplane conducted multiple 180° turns above a road then entered two clearing-turns before conducting multiple steep turns. The airplane then headed southwest and then southeast as airspeed slowed to about 60 kts. The data showed that, about 3,800 ft agl, the airplane’s airspeed slowed to about 50 kts and entered a steep descending left turn. The airplane’s airspeed most likely dropped below stall speed during the slow flight maneuver and the pilot was unable to recover before impact. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The flap and landing gear configuration were not determined during the investigation due to the impact and thermal damage. ## Factual narrative On October 17, 2021, about 1402 mountain standard time, a Rockwell International 112B airplane, N112LS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Three Points, Arizona. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Recorded automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data showed that the airplane departed from runway 24L at Ryan Field (RYN), Tucson, Arizona, about 1339, climbed to 4,500 ft mean sea level (msl) [about 2,700 ft above ground level (agl)], and traveled southwest for about 5 minutes before entering into multiple 180° turns over a southbound road. The data shows the airplane continued to the southwest before making a wide right turn and then a left turn. The data showed four 360°- turn maneuvers before heading southwest, and then southeast, as airspeed slowed to about 60 kts. The data showed that about 3,800 ft agl, the airplane’s airspeed slowed to about 50 kts and entered a steep descending left turn. The airplane continued in a descending left turn until ADS-B contact was lost about 1402, at an altitude of about 250 ft agl near the accident site. Concerned friends of the pilot who were tracking the accident flight contacted the local authorities later that afternoon. The airplane was found that evening by local law enforcement on level, wooded desert terrain. According to a friend of the pilot, he was preparing for an upcoming flight review scheduled for the following Tuesday. During the investigation, identification of the flight instructor performing the review could not be found. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted terrain in a flat, wings-level attitude, with no debris path. The airplane remained mostly intact and had postimpact fire damage. The engine cowling separated and was found 20 ft from the engine. Broken plexiglass surrounded the main wreckage. All the airplane’s flight controls were found at the accident site and flight control cable continuity was established to the cabin area. The flap and landing gear configuration were not determined during the investigation. Postaccident examination of the engine and airframe revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. According to Pilot’s Operating Handbook, the airplane’s stall speed with landing gear and flaps retracted is 61 knots. A National Transportation Safety Board aircraft performance study revealed that the airplane slowed to a calibrated airspeed very near its stall speed. The airplane was flying only 4-7 kts above its reported stall speed during the final two minutes of flight. The aircraft’s airspeed then dropped below the reported stall speed, and it rapidly lost altitude while in a tight left turn. The pilot’s logbook was not found during the investigation. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N112LS](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N112LS-2022-12-28), registration cancelled 2022-12-28, S/N 511, built 1976 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: ROCKWELL 112 (B) - Registry model: [Rockwell International 112B](https://openairdocs.org/model/rockwell-international-112b) (registry code 7630303) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming I0360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (registry code 41515, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 511 - Year built: 1976 - Airframe hours: 3689 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360 reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Fire: On-Ground - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, August 1, 2021 - Departed: RYN, Tucson, AZ - Airport: RYN, Ryan Fld, runway 24L, 5,500 × 75 ft, asphalt - Equipment: ADS-B, Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, without waivers/limitations; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 1,437 total, 35 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 200° at 11 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 88 °F, dew point 32 °F - Altimeter: 29.96 inHg - Icing: Unknown - Turbulence: Unknown - Observed at: KRYN, 20 nm away - METAR: KRYN 172058Z 20011KT 10SM CLR 31/00 A2996 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20211017018949A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20211017018949A), Oct 17, 2021: Rockwell International 112B, Three Points, AZ, Destroyed, 1 fatal. After departing Ryan air field (ryn), N112LS, a Rockwell International aircraft [privacy data omitted]crashed while conducting training maneuvers thirteen… ## Docket (8 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 8, 2023, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104111. 8.5 MB in all. - NTSB accident site and followup wreckage examination report (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 8 photos, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16227020&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WPR22FA012%20Accident%20Site%20and%20Wreckage%20Followup%20Examination%20Report-Rel.pdf - Google earth images-flight track data (item 2, PDF, 4 pages, 1.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16249903&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array-GE%20Flight%20Track-Rel.pdf - Adsb-flight track data-klm file. (item 3, KMZ, 86 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16250913&FileExtension=kmz&FileName=20211017_A034AC_467900359_ADSB-Rel.kmz - N112LS adsb data (item 4, CSV, 1.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15808362&FileExtension=csv&FileName=20211017_A034AC_467900359_ADSB-Rel.csv - Aircraft performance study (item 5, PDF, 7 pages, 1.5 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15808519&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WPR22FA012_PerformanceStudy-Rel.pdf - POH stall speeds (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 126 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16227376&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pages%20from%20POH%20112B-Rel.pdf - FAA tox report (item 7, PDF, 1 page, 130 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=16227283&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=FAA%20Tox_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Wreckage release form (item 8, PDF, 1 page, 1.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15533720&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Wreckage%20Release%20Form_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.