Amateur-built Lancair 235 accident near Sacaton, Arizona, January 6, 2005
On January 6, 2005, a amateur-built Lancair 235, registered N64BV, was destroyed in an accident near Sacaton, Arizona. It was a personal 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 pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in a stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2005
- Place
- Sacaton, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Lancair 235
- Registration
- N64BV · no longer on the register · serial 207
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the airplane in a flat spin, which continued straight down until it struck the ground. An FAA Inspector responded to the accident site and reported that the airplane came to rest upright, and had struck the ground in a left wing, nose low attitude. The airframe and engine inspections revealed no preimpact anomalies that would have precluded normal 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 237 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 335.4 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 1,520 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P19 Chandler AZ at 11:45 pm
- Destination: P19
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 pm from CHD, 15 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.
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.