Amateur-built XL accident near Casa Grande, Arizona, October 9, 2003
On October 9, 2003 at about 11:50 pm local time, a amateur-built XL, registered N658SE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Casa Grande, Arizona (Phoenix Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's misjudged landing flare and inadequate compensation for crosswind conditions, which resulted in his failure to maintain runway alignment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 2003 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Casa Grande, Arizona · Phoenix Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built XL
- Registration
- N658SE · registry record · serial 3FX017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed hard, bounced, and touched down again with the left main landing gear off the runway. On the second touchdown, the left main landing gear came into contact with soft sand. The airplane veered off of the runway. As the nose gear entered the sand, it collapsed and the airplane's nose skid in the sand. The pilot believed that the accident resulted from the airplane being lower than he perceived due to a 50-foot narrower runway than he was accustomed to, and his lack of practice performing crosswind landings. The reported winds were from 190 degrees at 12 knots; the pilot was landing runway 21.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 346 hours in all; 217 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P33 Willcox AZ
- Destination: A39 Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N658SE 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.