HORNET N6366M accident near Lucerne Valley, California

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude during an aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an impact with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was performing aerobatic maneuvers over desert terrain. A witness reported that the airplane entered a “barrel roll climb,” followed by a “stall.” The airplane then entered an inverted, nose-down “dive” before rolling upright, but continuing its nose-down descent. The witness then lost sight of the airplane behind trees. The airplane impacted terrain in a nose-down attitude and was significantly fragmented. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies. Flight tracking data ended about 1 mile from the accident site at an altitude about 2,725 ft above ground level (agl).

Given the available information, it could not be determined whether the pilot lost control of the airplane and was unable to recover before impacting terrain, or entered an intentional aerobatic maneuver with insufficient altitude.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR22FA195 for the full record.