Extra Flugzeugbau EA 300/L N512DW

Summary

On 20 October 2024 at about 20:24 local time, a Extra Flugzeugbau EA 300/L registered N512DW was involved in an accident near Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

20 October 2024 at 20:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States

Nearest airport

Las Cruces Intl (LRU)

Coordinates

32.2912, -106.9264

Aircraft

Extra Flugzeugbau EA 300/L

Registration

N512DW

Category

Airplane

Year built

1996

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Air Race/Show

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR25FA020

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On October 20, 2024, about 1424 mountain daylight time, an Extra Flugzeugbau GmbH EA 300/L, N512DW, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident at the Law Cruces International Airport (LRU), Las Cruces, New Mexico. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 air show flight. The pilot was taking part in the Las Cruces Air and Space Expo and was nearing the end of his aerobatic routine. The pilot’s routine began at 1414 with a scheduled duration of 15 minutes. Recorded video, captured by various spectators showed the accident airplane complete two forward tumble maneuvers oriented along the lateral pitch axis and enter a third tumble. About halfway through the third tumble, the airplane stopped the maneuver and was oriented in an inverted, almost level attitude. The airplane then pitched downward and entered an approximate 60° to 70° nose low upright attitude. Subsequently, the airplane began to roll to the right just before it impacted terrain. Numerous witnesses described the airplane recovered successfully from two different forward tumbles before it impacted terrain. The airplane came to rest in desert terrain about 200 ft northwest of runway 4/22 at LRU at an elevation of about 4,434 ft oriented on a heading of 130° magnetic. The initial point of impact was a ground impression consistent with the right wing tip. The right wing was separated and located adjacent to the initial ground impression. At the root of the right wing, a large crater about 6 ft in diameter and 1 ft deep was observed. The main wreckage was located about 20 ft beyond the larger impact crater. All the major structural components of the airplane were accounted for at the accident site. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.