Grob G120A accident near Mobile, AZ
On May 22, 2002, a Grob G120A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mobile, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 22, 2002
- Place
- Mobile, AZ
- Aircraft
- Grob G120A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.109°N, 112.281°W
- NTSB ID
- 20020529X00748
Official records · MIA02FA098
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 22, 2002, about 1442 mountain standard time, a Grob G120A, N866AF, registered to Airline Training Center Arizona, Inc., operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 maintenance test flight, crashed while maneuvering in the vicinity of Mobile, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was destroyed, and the airline transport rated flight instructor, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The flight departed Phoenix-Goodyear Municipal Airport, Goodyear, Arizona, at 1404. According to a statement by another training center instructor who was communicating on base radio about a landing gear indication problem with training aircraft N1569P during the time period 1420 to 1430, N866AF's pilot overheard and said he would lend assistance. After a quick descent from 7,000 feet msl, loosely joining on N1569P at 2,500 feet msl, and simultaneously stating his observations about landing gear and gear door positions on base radio frequency to base operations and to N1569P, N866AF detached at about 1430. Upon detaching, the pilot stated he was climbing back up to 7,000 feet msl, to resume his test flight. According to an eyewitness on the ground, at about 1440, he observed the aircraft traveling east to west, north of his position and south of the Lufthansa training airport at Mobile, at an extremely high rate of speed and low to the ground. The left wing was straight down and the right wing was straight up. He next observed the nose angle toward the ground, the wings roll level with the horizon, and simultaneously
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot to maintain altitude clearance with the terrain.
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Browse: Arizona
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
