Nord 3202 N22532

Summary

On 22 October 2005 at about 23:30 local time, a Nord 3202 registered N22532 was involved in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 October 2005 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Casa Grande, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Casa Grande (CGZ)

Coordinates

32.9547, -111.7669

Aircraft

Nord 3202

Registration

N22532

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Casa Grande → Casa Grande

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX06LA016

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during a low-altitude evasive maneuver away from another airplane, which resulted in a stall and uncontrolled descent.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stalled the airplane during the base leg of the traffic pattern and collided with the ground near the end of the runway approach lighting system for runway 05. The pilot had returned from a 2-year mission with his church and was reacquainting himself with flying. The pilot's medical certificate and student pilot certificate were expired. According to family members, the pilot spent the morning practicing touch-and-go takeoffs and landings with a family member (who held a commercial certificate and an expired medical certificate) and then performed five solo takeoffs and landings uneventfully. They further stated that other airplanes were flying to the airport practicing instrument approaches and it was difficult to understand where they were along the practice approaches due to their language accent. Family members stated that, while the accident airplane was on the base turn to final of the sixth approach, a multiengine airplane was on final and the pilot executed an evasive maneuver to avoid the multiengine airplane during which the accident airplane stalled and descended uncontrolled to the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration accident coordinator examined the wreckage following the accident and did not identify any preimpact mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Although the airplane was equipped with a lap belt and shoulder harness restraint system, a family member noted that the pilot was not wearing the shoulder harness at the time of the accident because he was not performing aerobatics. Federal Aviation Regulation 14 CFR 91.107 requires the use of both seat belts and if installed, shoulder harnesses, during movement on the surface, takeoff, and landing. Review of autopsy results and impact damage to the wreckage indicated that the pilot's proper use of a shoulder harness combined with a lap belt would have significantly increased his probability of survival.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.