Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB WPR10LA258
RICE GN-1 AIR CAMPIER — Paulden, AZ
| Date | May 24, 2010 |
| Location | Paulden, AZ |
| Aircraft | RICE GN-1 AIR CAMPIER (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Approach-VFR pattern final Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 79 |
| Pilot total time | 28,000 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 36 hrs |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C
- Not determined-Not determined-(general)-(general)-Unknown/Not determined - C
What happened
The pilot of the experimental airplane was in the process of executing a series of touch-and-go takeoffs and landings at a dirt airstrip. About 20 minutes into the flight, during the approach for another one of the touch-and-go landings, he lost control of the airplane and it descended steeply into the terrain about 100 feet off to the side of the approach end of the runway. There were no witnesses to the crash sequence, and the pilot, who was conscious and communicative at the scene, said that he did not know what had caused the crash sequence to occur. He later died at the hospital from injuries suffered during the crash. A postaccident inspection of the airplane's airframe, and a teardown inspection of its engine, did not reveal any anomalies that would have contributed to a loss of control or a failure of the engine to produce its full rated horsepower.