Sabrena DRAGONFLY accident near Maricopa, AZ
On February 24, 2014, a Sabrena DRAGONFLY (airplane) was involved in an accident near Maricopa, AZ. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 24, 2014
- Place
- Maricopa, AZ
- Aircraft
- Sabrena DRAGONFLY · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.988°N, 111.918°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140223X25847
Official records · WPR14LA119
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 23, 2014, about 1800 mountain standard time, a Sabrena Dragonfly, N7745C, impacted terrain at the Ak-Chin Regional Airport (A-39), Maricopa, Arizona. The private pilot was fatally injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to, and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from A39 at an unknown time. Witnesses reported after uneventfully releasing a tandem glider, the pilot descended to about 30 feet above the ground and dropped the tow line. Afterwards, the airplane pitched up abruptly until about 200 feet above the ground, on what appeared to be a downwind for the runway. The nose of the airplane temporarily leveled off before it pitched up a second time. The airplane appeared to stall; the left wing dropped and the airplane spun about 2-3 revolutions before it impacted the ground in a nose low attitude. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 53, held a private pilot certificate for airplane single-engine land issued September 18, 2009, and a limited third-class airman medical certificate issued October 22, 2013 with the restriction that he must have glasses available for near vision. The pilot's logbook was not recovered for examination. During the pilot's most recent medical examination he reported 763 total flight hours, 47 hours of which, were within the six months prior to the exam date. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe two-seat, high-wi
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and subsequently experiencing an aerodynamic stall and spin at a low altitude.
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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.
