Pilot Debrief

Express 2000RG near Cheyenne, WY — 2022-05-30

Final reportCEN22FA216
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Date
2022-05-30
Location
Cheyenne, WY, USA
Airport
CYS
Aircraft
Express 2000RG
Registration
N44508
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

The pilot's inability to maintain proper airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while managing a loss of engine power and inflight fire, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing factors to the accident were the loss of engine power and the in-flight fire.

Contributing factors

Contributing factors to the accident were the loss of engine power and the in-flight fire.

NTSB narrative

Shortly after departure, the pilot informed air traffic control that he had an engine failure, and the airplane entered a left turn back toward the airport. The pilot then told the controller that he was not going to be able to make it back to the airport and he was going to land in a field. The pilot then reported that he had a fire onboard the airplane. The airplane impacted the ground in a storage yard and slid into a storage unit. The airplane was destroyed by impact and fire damage. A performance study revealed that, while in the turn to the field, the airplane banked right about 75° with an increase in pitch from 0° to about 11° nose up at an altitude of about 400 ft above the ground. The airplane exceeded the critical angle of attack, entered an accelerated stall, and departed controlled flight. It is likely that due to the inflight fire and the loss of engine power, the pilot was unable to maintain control of the airplane during the last portion of the flight. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded operations; however, the examination was limited due to impact and fire damage. The reason for the reported loss of engine power could not be determined. Due to the postimpact fire, the source of ignition for the inflight fire could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the flight after engine failure at 0746:39.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ATC audio
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 12 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents12

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