Amateur-built Aeros Ltd Skyranger accident near Gila Bend, Arizona, April 10, 2002
On April 10, 2002 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Aeros Ltd Skyranger, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gila Bend, Arizona (Gila Bend airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the engine for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2002 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gila Bend, Arizona · Gila Bend · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Aeros Ltd Skyranger
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial SK1035
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An unregistered, experimental homebuilt aircraft collided with the ground during a forced landing after an engine failure. The airplane was not issued a waiver as required for operation by Part 103 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. After departing to practice touch-and-go's the engine lost power; consequently, the pilot made a forced landing in the rough, desert terrain. Upon touchdown, the nosegear collapsed and the cowling and windshield were damaged. The speed of the airplane was between 40-45 miles per hour.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2002
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth 2706E06A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E63 Gila Bend AZ at 3:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 5,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from GBN, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 UNREG 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.