Extra Flugzeugbau Gmbh EA 300/L N512DW accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico

Probable cause

The pilot’s entry into an aerobatic maneuver at an altitude that was insufficient to complete a successful recovery, which resulted in an accelerated stall and impact with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was conducting aerobatic maneuvers over desert terrain during an airshow. About 5 minutes into the routine, video evidence showed that the airplane completed two forward tumbles followed by a third tumble that paused briefly while inverted. The airplane then entered a near-vertical descent. In an apparent attempt to recover toward show center, the pilot initiated a high-positive-G pull-up. As the recovery progressed, the right wing appeared to enter an accelerated stall. The airplane subsequently impacted the ground in a nose-low, right-rolling attitude and was destroyed. Examination revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation, and damage signatures and witness accounts indicated that the engine was producing power at the time of the accident.

The density altitude at the time of the accident was 6,554 ft above mean sea level (msl). The pilot’s shallow upline entry angle into the maneuver, which was less than 45° from level flight and below the pilot’s customary entry profile based on a review of his previous performances of the same maneuver, provided less altitude and energy at the start of the maneuver. Additionally, the pilot initiated the maneuver from an orientation that directed energy toward the ground; initiating the maneuver in the opposite direction would have resulted in an upward energy vector. Subsequent maneuver execution further degraded the airplane’s energy state and available control authority. The pilot’s control inputs during the final portion of the maneuver resulted in an inverted flat spin that culminated in an accelerated aerodynamic stall. A higher entry altitude would have provided additional recovery margin and may have better accommodated the reduction in performance associated with the prevailing high density altitude conditions. The pilot’s initiation of the tumble maneuver at an insufficient altitude with a downward energy vector, combined with the elevated density altitude and pilot’s control inputs, resulted in a loss of energy that culminated in an unrecoverable low-altitude stall.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR25FA020 for the full record.