Low-Altitude Maneuvering · NTSB WPR09LA203
EXTRA EA-300 — Santa Barbara, CA
| Date | April 20, 2009 |
| Location | Santa Barbara, CA |
| Aircraft | EXTRA EA-300 |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-aerobatics Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 61 |
| Pilot total time | 3,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance with terrain for undetermined reasons while performing aerobatics.
NTSB findings
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
What happened
A witness observed the airplane performing aerobatics over the ocean for about 10 minutes prior to the accident. The maneuver was the same; the airplane would fly straight up, roll 360 degrees as in a loop, descend, and then pull back up into the same maneuver. On the maneuver that culminated in the accident he saw the airplane fly straight up, flip over, and enter into a 45-degree descent toward the water. He expected the airplane to pull up into the same maneuver; however, the airplane continued its descent until it impacted the water. The witness reported that he was not able to see any detail as the airplane was off in the distance.