Amateur-built EXPRESS SERIES 2000 N43FD accident near Camarillo, California

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach, which resulted in exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at an altitude that precluded recovery.

NTSB analysis

The pilot and passenger were landing at the destination airport following a cross-country flight. Witnesses saw the airplane on final approach for landing when it entered a right bank followed by a steep, nose-down descent. The airplane impacted the ground several hundred feet short of the runway threshold.

Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given the available information, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain airspeed on final approach, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR19FA212 for the full record.