Amateur-built Ace accident near Mammoth Springs, Arkansas, April 13, 2023
On April 13, 2023 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2015 amateur-built Ace, registered N5545, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Mammoth Springs, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s intentional flight into terrain as an act of suicide.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 13, 2023 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mammoth Springs, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Ace, built 2015
- Registration
- N5545 · registry record · serial 7792
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane, which was owned by the pilot, took off from a private airstrip and flew to a rock quarry. Witnesses saw the airplane circle around the quarry several times. One witness saw the airplane fly directly into the quarry and collide with a rock wall. The wreckage was located directly below and adjacent to a 75-ft rock wall. The damage to the wreckage was consistent with a high-energy impact. Examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation. Postmortem toxicological testing detected ethanol at 0.048 g/dl, along with n-propanol, in the blood cavity. Neither ethanol nor n-propanol was detected in vitreous fluid. Detection of n-propanol in a postmortem specimen is potentially indicative of postmortem microbial activity in the specimen but does not necessarily mean that microbial activity produced ethanol. These findings suggest that the ethanol detected was likely from postmortem production, not alcohol consumption. Following a death investigation, local law enforcement and the local the coroner classified the manner of death as a suicide.
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
What happened, in order
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Suicide › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Ash Flat AR at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.91 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from KUNO, 36 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KUNO 131753Z AUTO 18005KT 10SM CLR 22/03 A2991 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on February 13, 2025. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Memorandum for the Record Accident Site and Wreckage Examination CEN23FA155 | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements CEN23FA155 | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Medical Factual Memo CEN23FA155 | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Investigation Photographs CEN23FA155 | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Toxicology Report CEN23FA155 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Memorandum for the Record Wrecakge Disposition CEN23FA155 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 7 | Approximate Distance from Departure Point to Accident Site CEN23FA155 | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
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.