Pilot Debrief

EXTRA FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH EA 300/L near Jerome, ID — 2015-09-02

Final reportWPR15LA255
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Date
2015-09-02
Location
Jerome, ID, USA
Airport
JER
Aircraft
EXTRA FLUGZEUGBAU GMBH EA 300/L
Registration
N4BM
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while conducting a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver.

NTSB narrative

The private pilot was conducting a local personal flight. A witness located at the airport reported that he observed the accident airplane take off and then head southwest. He then observed the airplane perform a loop, and he estimated that, at the top of the maneuver, the airplane was about 1,500 ft above ground level. As the airplane began leveling off at the bottom of the loop, it descended out of the witness's line of sight behind a building. The pilot reported that he did not recall anything about the flight. Postaccident examination of the recovered wreckage did not reveal any preexisting mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Wreckage and impact signatures were consistent with a high-energy, low-angle impact with terrain. It is likely that the pilot did not properly gauge the airplane's distance from terrain while conducting the low-altitude aerobatic maneuver and failed to level off in time to avoid impacting terrain.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have chosen not to perform aerobatics after recent personal loss.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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