Amateur-built Mark III Classic accident near Tucson, Arizona, November 4, 2005
On November 4, 2005 at about 3:30 pm local time, a amateur-built Mark III Classic, registered N515AB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (Ryan Field Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the fatigue failure of the attachment that secured the horizontal stabilizer to the fuselage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2005 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Ryan Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Mark III Classic
- Registration
- N515AB · registry record · serial 101553
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane made a forced landing after the horizontal stabilizer attachment failed in flight. The instructional flight departed with the intention of practicing takeoffs and landings. On the downwind leg, the pilots heard a loud bang. The airplane lurched nose up, then nose down. The flight instructor took control of the aircraft and informed the tower he had a flight control problem. He was able to land the aircraft using cross control inputs. The instructor inspected the airplane and determined that the right horizontal stabilizer had separated from the fuselage due to a stainless steel "L" bracket failure. The instructor attributed the failure to a loose bolt in the "L" bracket that allowed a vibration and caused metal fatigue of the component.
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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,050 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 17,766 as pilot in command; 2,800 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 545 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 1, 2005; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RYN Tucson AZ at 3:30 pm
- Destination: RYN Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 4,900 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.