Amateur-built Christen Eagle II accident near Ogden, Utah, March 22, 2001
On March 22, 2001 at about 10:18 pm local time, a amateur-built Christen Eagle II, registered N5JV, was destroyed in an accident near Ogden, Utah. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight instructor's failure to maintain aircraft control while maneuvering and the subsequent inadvertent stall/spin. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's lack of familiarity with the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2001 · about 10:18 pm local time
- Place
- Ogden, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Christen Eagle II
- Registration
- N5JV · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the day of the accident, the flight instructor, who had not previously flown the homebuilt, experimental airplane, flew the airplane twice, once with the previous owner and once with the current owner. They both reported that during their respective flights with the flight instructor, they flew to a practice area and performed slow flight and stalls at an altitude of approximately 2,500 feet agl. The flight instructor then flew with the commercial pilot receiving instruction to the practice area where radar data indicates that they were maneuvering at the time the airplane disappeared from radar. There were no witnesses to the accident. Examination of the accident site indicated the airplane impacted the ground in a near vertical descent. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any pre-existing mechanical discrepancies that would have prevented normal operation. The airplane's designer recommended a maximum gross weight for aerobatic flight of 1,520 pounds and for normal flight of 1,600 pounds; the airplane's estimated total weight at the time of takeoff was 1,610 pounds.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,800 hours in all; 2 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 15, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,150 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 650 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 21, 2001; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGD Ogden UT at 9:48 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from OGD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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.