Express 2000RG N44508

Summary

On 30 May 2022 at about 13:48 local time, a Express 2000RG registered N44508 was involved in an accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 May 2022 at 13:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States

Coordinates

41.1324, -104.7919

Aircraft

Express 2000RG

Registration

N44508

Category

Airplane

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cheynne → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22FA216

1 person died.

The pilot's inability to maintain proper airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while managing a loss of engine power and inflight fire, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing factors to the accident were the loss of engine power and the in-flight fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Shortly after departure, the pilot informed air traffic control that he had an engine failure, and the airplane entered a left turn back toward the airport. The pilot then told the controller that he was not going to be able to make it back to the airport and he was going to land in a field. The pilot then reported that he had a fire onboard the airplane. The airplane impacted the ground in a storage yard and slid into a storage unit. The airplane was destroyed by impact and fire damage. A performance study revealed that, while in the turn to the field, the airplane banked right about 75° with an increase in pitch from 0° to about 11° nose up at an altitude of about 400 ft above the ground. The airplane exceeded the critical angle of attack, entered an accelerated stall, and departed controlled flight. It is likely that due to the inflight fire and the loss of engine power, the pilot was unable to maintain control of the airplane during the last portion of the flight. Examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any preimpact anomalies that would have precluded operations; however, the examination was limited due to impact and fire damage. The reason for the reported loss of engine power could not be determined. Due to the postimpact fire, the source of ignition for the inflight fire could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.