Low-Altitude Maneuvering · NTSB WPR22FA195
MEYER FRED J HORNET — Lucerne Valley, CA
| Date | June 2, 2022 |
| Location | Lucerne Valley, CA |
| Aircraft | MEYER FRED J HORNET |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-aerobatics Low altitude operation/event |
| Pilot age | 66 |
| Pilot total time | Unknown |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
What happened
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.