- Date
- May 2, 2025, 14:38 local (21:38 UTC)
- Place
- Mojave, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N538EEAmerican Champion 8KCAB
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20250502006129A
- Case key
- 200123
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 climb out from an aborted landing.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that after landing in the tailwheel equipped airplane, he was having difficulty maintaining the runway centerline. He therefore decided to abort the landing and added power. During takeoff, he noticed the airplane had difficulty climbing and was drifting off the runway heading. Subsequently, he turned back toward the runway and subsequently the airplane when into a stall and impacted nose down. During the accident sequence, substantial damage was sustained to the wings. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact failures or malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N538EE
- Reported as
- American Champion 8KCAB
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1205-2022
- Built
- 2022
- Airframe hours
- 166.7
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-360-H1B, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 3, 2025
- Departed
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- KMHV · Mojave Air and Space Port/Rutan Field, runway 26, 7,049 × 104 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system
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
- 79
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 9,170 total · 179 in this make and model · 9,170 as pilot in command · 19.1 in the last 90 days · 5.2 in the last 30 days · 1.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KMHV, 8 nm away
- METAR
- KMHV 022120Z AUTO 26006KT 10SM CLR 28/M00 A2993 RMK AO2
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 11, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.7 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.