Wheeler EXPRESS SERIES 2000 N43FD

Summary

On 7 August 2019 at about 20:29 local time, a Wheeler EXPRESS SERIES 2000 registered N43FD, operated by N43FD Airplane LLC., was involved in an accident near Camarillo, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 August 2019 at 20:29

Classification

Accident

Location

Camarillo, California, United States

Nearest airport

Camarillo (CMA)

Coordinates

34.2139, -119.0708

Aircraft

Wheeler EXPRESS SERIES 2000

Registration

N43FD

Category

Airplane

Year built

2002

Engines

1

Operator

N43FD Airplane LLC.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tonopah → Camarillo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19FA212

2 people died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach, which resulted in exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at an altitude that precluded recovery.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger were landing at the destination airport following a cross-country flight. Witnesses saw the airplane on final approach for landing when it entered a right bank followed by a steep, nose-down descent. The airplane impacted the ground several hundred feet short of the runway threshold. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given the available information, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain airspeed on final approach, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.