Amateur-built Firestar accident near Waxhaw, North Carolina, November 2, 2003
On November 2, 2003 at about 10:20 pm local time, a amateur-built Firestar, registered N432JR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waxhaw, North Carolina (Jaars-Townsend airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering on final approach resulting in an inadvertent stall and in-flight collision with trees and the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 2, 2003 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Waxhaw, North Carolina · Jaars-Townsend · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Firestar
- Registration
- N432JR · no longer on the register · serial BHHW-1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he was on final approach at the JAARS-Townsend Airport. He realized that he was too high, so he made a 360-degree turn to the left followed by a 360-degree turn to the right. The turn rate was almost completed when the right roll rate increased due to encountering the wake turbulence from the initial 360-degree turn. The airplane stalled and collided with the trees and the ground.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,106 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 3,791 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 6, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 818 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 26, 2003; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 725 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 377 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2NC1 Waxhaw NC at 9:20 pm
- Destination: N52 Waxhaw NC
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from CLT, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N432JR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.