Izatt MITCHELL U2 N3249Z

Summary

On 5 February 2000 at about 23:25 local time, a Izatt MITCHELL U2 registered N3249Z was involved in an accident near Jean, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 February 2000 at 23:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Jean, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

35.7509, -115.5301

Aircraft

Izatt MITCHELL U2

Registration

N3249Z

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX00LA091

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and spin.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The owner flew the airplane to the dry lake where the accident occurred and conducted a series of introductory flights for the pilot, who had indicated an interest in purchasing the airplane. He said he spent some time instructing the pilot on the characteristics of the single seat, delta winged airplane to include taxiing, takeoffs, and landings. The pilot flew the airplane twice, the first time for about 1 hour and the second also for 1 hour, which culminated in the accident. When the airplane did not return to his location after being gone for an hour or so, the owner became concerned and took another airplane to look for it. He spotted the wreckage, landed, and went to the pilot's assistance. While waiting for medical help, the pilot told the owner that he had inadvertently let it get slow, stalled it, and the airplane inadvertently entered a spin. The pilot said he had almost recovered from the spin but ran out of altitude and hit the ground. According to the owner, the pilot said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane. The owner reported that the fuel tanks contained fuel at the crash site. He said he constructed the airplane in 1983 and has flown it about 265 hours. There were no known discrepancies prior to the accident. FAA inspectors and police pilots from the Las Vegas Metro Police department examined the airplane and reported there were no obvious mechanical discrepancies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.