Violet DRAGONFLY N48RV
18 July 2002 · Tucson, Arizona, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 18 July 2002 at about 16:49 local time, a Violet DRAGONFLY registered N48RV, operated by Felix J. Boston, was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:49
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tucson, Arizona, United States
- Nearest airport
- Tucson International (TUS)
- Coordinates
- 32.1161, -110.9411
- Aircraft
- Violet DRAGONFLY
- Registration
- N48RV
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Felix J. Boston
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- El Paso → Tucson
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX02LA230
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control resulting from his improperly planned approach and an inadvertent encounter with wake turbulence.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
On short final approach between 50 and 75 feet above the ground, the pilot encountered wake turbulence from a MD80, which had just landed. During the wake turbulence encounter, the accident airplane suddenly rolled into a near vertical left bank, control was lost, and it crashed about 340 feet from the runway. While in the traffic pattern, the pilot had observed the approaching MD80. Air traffic control personnel advised the pilot that the local wind was from 060 degrees, at 7 knots, and the controller twice cautioned the pilot regarding wake turbulence. At 0947:24, the MD80 was about 1 mile from landing on a visual approach to runway 11L and it landed at 0948:29 . The accident pilot crashed at 0949:28, approaching parallel runway 11R. Tucson International Airport operations personnel reported that the impact site was about 340 feet short of the runway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Violet DRAGONFLY accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1993 | Violet DRAGONFLY | Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States | Snow, Mark D. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jul 2002 | Beechcraft 95-B55 | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Charles A. Moran | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 2002 | Steen SE-1 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 8 Nov 2002 | Cessna 208B | Parks, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 13 Jul 2002 | McConnell LANCAIR 320 | Sedona, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2002 | Pilatus UV-20A | Marana, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Mar 2002 | Avian MAGNUM IX | Sedona, Arizona, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |