Amateur-built SPORTSMAN 2 PLUS 2 N202AZ accident near Pine, Arizona

Preliminary information

On August 10, 2026, at about 1835 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur built amateur-built Sportsman 2 Plus 2 airplane, N202AZ, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Pine, Arizona. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to preliminary ADS-B data, the airplane departed from runway 06 at Payson Airport (PAN), Payson, Arizona about 1827:07. The airplane flew on a northwest heading, climbing to about 5,850 ft mean sea level (msl) at 1831:51, before turning to the southwest above mountainous terrain about 7 nautical miles (nm) northwest of PAN. The airplane proceeded to the southwest and descended into a canyon, when the ADS-B signal was lost at 1835:47, about an altitude of 4,675 ft msl (about 680 ft above ground level and 136 ft above the canyon rim).

The airplane impacted terrain about 3 nm west of the last ADS-B data point, on the northwestern face of a draw at an elevation of about 3,994 ft msl. The accident site area was comprised of roughly 45° sloping terrain with desert junipers and prickly pear cacti scattered along the rocky slope. The first identifiable point of impact (FIPOI) was a desert juniper with separated and damaged branches along with the left wing tip located at the base of the tree. The FIPOI was located about 791 ft above the base of the ravine, and about 1,300 ft below the ridgeline. The wreckage debris path was about 102 ft in length and oriented on a magnetic heading of 175°. The left wing, left aileron, left flap, right wing tip, fuselage, empennage, and engine were distributed throughout the wreckage debris path. A majority of the wreckage was consumed by a post impact fire. The fuselage came to rest in a right wing low, nose down attitude, on a heading of about 022 ° magnetic. The propeller was separated from the crankshaft aft of the propeller flange. Both propeller blades exhibited “S” bending, and leading-edge gouges.

The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

Text from the NTSB; a preliminary report can change and names no cause. Open the NTSB docket for WPR26FA301 for the full record.