Wing Aircraft D-1 accident near Rosamond, CA

On December 4, 2003, a Wing Aircraft D-1 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Rosamond, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

December 4, 2003

Place

Rosamond, CA

Aircraft

Wing Aircraft D-1 · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

34.845°N, 118.388°W

NTSB ID

20031230X02103

Official records · LAX04FA057

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 4, 2003, at 0854 Pacific standard time, a Wing Aircraft, D-1, N8602J, collided with desert terrain while maneuvering about 11 nautical miles (nm) west-southwest of Rosamond, California. The National Test Pilot School (NTPS), located in Mojave, California, operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The multiengine airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airline transport pilot, who was acting as a flight instructor, and the student were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan was in effect. The instructional familiarization flight originated from runway 26 at the Mojave Airport, approximately 0832. Prior to initiating the accident flight, the instructor briefed the student using a lesson plan. The specific stall and Vmc maneuvers to be performed were listed on a document, which the NTPS termed a "flight card." The anticipated length of the familiarization flight was 1 hour. Recorded radar data indicates that the Mode C (altitude encoding) transponder equipped airplane departed from the Mojave Airport in a westerly direction. Thereafter, the airplane proceeded in a southwesterly direction and flew toward the area where the accident was to occur, with a ground speed between 100 and 140 knots. No altitude data was recorded by radar until about 0846, at which time the airplane's altitude indicated 6,000 feet. At 0849, after reversing course, the airplane's altitude decreased from 5,900 feet to 5,200 feet, with a groundspeed of about 80 knots. Thereafter, the airplane regained alt

Probable cause

The flying pilot's failure to obtain/maintain control of the airplane during practice stalls, which resulted in the inadvertent entry into a spin.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.