Amateur-built Super Bushmaster accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona, October 4, 2015
On October 4, 2015 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 2011 amateur-built Super Bushmaster, registered CFIIB, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Marble Canyon, Arizona (Cliff Dwellers airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain descent rate durring the landing resulting in collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 4, 2015 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Marble Canyon, Arizona · Cliff Dwellers · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Super Bushmaster LS180S, built 2011
- Registration
- CFIIB · no longer on the register · serial BC 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the visiting foreign pilot's written statement, while on approach to land at a desert airport, he encountered severe turbulence, was unable to maintain altitude, and the airplane impacted the ground 50 feet short of the runway. The nearest weather reporting station was 12 NM to the north-east, and reported that the wind was 150 degrees true at 13 knots, with gusts to 19. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage and empennage. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies prior to or during the flight that would have prevented normal flight operation.
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
- Turbulence encounter during approach
- Loss of control in flight during approach defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Terrain induced turbulence › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,400 hours in all; 290 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 0.1 in the last 30 days; 1,286 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 7, 2014
- Medical certificate: Unknown (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 290 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 11, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 290 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HND Las Vegas NV at 7:00 pm
- Destination: AZ03 Marble Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 22, 3,820 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.84 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PGA, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on December 24, 2015. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.