Meyer Fred J HORNET N6366M

Summary

On 2 June 2022 at about 18:30 local time, a Meyer Fred J HORNET registered N6366M was involved in an accident near Lucerne Valley, California, 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

2 June 2022 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lucerne Valley, California, United States

Coordinates

34.4319, -116.8611

Aircraft

Meyer Fred J HORNET

Registration

N6366M

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Big Bear Lake → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR22FA195

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain altitude during an aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an impact with terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was performing aerobatic maneuvers over desert terrain. A witness reported that the airplane entered a “barrel roll climb,” followed by a “stall.” The airplane then entered an inverted, nose-down “dive” before rolling upright, but continuing its nose-down descent. The witness then lost sight of the airplane behind trees. The airplane impacted terrain in a nose-down attitude and was significantly fragmented. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any preimpact mechanical anomalies. Flight tracking data ended about 1 mile from the accident site at an altitude about 2,725 ft above ground level (agl). Given the available information, it could not be determined whether the pilot lost control of the airplane and was unable to recover before impacting terrain, or entered an intentional aerobatic maneuver with insufficient altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.