James E Causey Acroduster II accident near Phoenix, AZ
On August 20, 2018, a James E Causey Acroduster II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Phoenix, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 20, 2018
- Place
- Phoenix, AZ
- Aircraft
- James E Causey Acroduster II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.684°N, 112.066°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180820X31422
Official records · WPR18FA229
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 20, 2018, about 0645 mountain standard time, an experimental amateur built Acroduster II airplane, N787WM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Phoenix, Arizona. The two private pilots sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The accident pilots purchased the airplane 2 days before the accident. According to the airplane's previous owner, on the day of the sale, he provided the rear seat pilot with a 2.5-hour familiarization flight. While the previous owner reported no concerns with the way the accident pilot flew the airplane, he did recommend to the accident pilot that he consider delaying his departure a day or so and fly the airplane with a flight instructor in order to become more familiar with it. The accident pilot declined the offer, stating that he didn't have time and that he felt comfortable with the airplane. That afternoon, the front and rear seat accident pilots departed to their home airport, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT), Phoenix, Arizona, about 275 nautical miles east, and arrived uneventfully. On the morning of the accident, the pilots performed 4 uneventful takeoffs and landings in the DVT airport traffic pattern. Onboard video from the flight showed that, while turning from left downwind to left base for the fifth landing, the airplane's nose pitched up slightly just before the airplane entered the left turn onto the base leg. As the airplane continued to turn left, it appeared to exhibit aerodynamic buffeting. The airp
Probable cause
An exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at an altitude too low for recovery.
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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.
