Xtremeair XA42 N42XM

Summary

On 15 November 2023 at about 16:40 local time, a Xtremeair XA42 registered N42XM, operated by MAX Acro Inc, was involved in an accident near Union City, Tennessee, 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

15 November 2023 at 16:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Union City, Tennessee, United States

Nearest airport

Everett-Stewart Regional Airpo (UCY)

Coordinates

36.3823, -88.9923

Aircraft

Xtremeair XA42

Registration

N42XM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

MAX Acro Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24FA038

2 people died.

The pilot receiving instruction’s loss of airplane control while performing aerobatics, which resulted in a stall/spin at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After completing pattern work at a local airport, the private pilot and flight instructor returned to the departure airport to use its aerobatic “box” for aerobatic maneuvers training. The co-owners of the airplane were sitting on the airport ramp watching the accident airplane and one of the co-owners reported seeing the airplane conducting an “avalanche” maneuver. This maneuver comprises a loop with a snap roll performed at the top of the loop. He reported that the airplane entered the maneuver about 1,200 ft above ground level (agl) and reached the top of the loop around 2,000 ft agl. However, he described that, rather than completing a 360° snap roll at the top of the loop, the airplane’s roll continued through 540° and was upright when it should have finished the roll inverted and continued through the remainder of the loop. By this time, the airplane had slowed considerably, the engine was at full power, and the gyroscopic effect of the propeller pulled the nose down, and the airplane entered a spin. Once in the spin, the airplane descended to the ground, where it sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and both wings. Recovered flight data showed that, just before entering the last maneuver, the airplane’s GPS altitude was recorded as at least 1,135 ft. The last recorded GPS altitude was 1,693 ft, the derived groundspeed was 49 kts, and the engine parameters were consistent with similar previous aerobatic flights. The data were consistent with witness reports of the airplane entering a stall/spin. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine found no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.