Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 accident near Mojave, California, August 16, 2006
On August 16, 2006 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300, registered N12DW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mojave, California (Mojave Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 performing low-level aerobatics that resulted in an inadvertent accelerated stall and in-flight collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 2006 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mojave, California · Mojave Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 · all EA-300s on the register
- Registration
- N12DW · no longer on the register · serial 032
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane did not recover out of the bottom of a low altitude aerobatic maneuver and the airplane impacted the desert terrain in a flat attitude. The pilot had been practicing in the airport's local aerobatic box over several days for an upcoming air show. Witnesses reported observing the accident airplane performing low-level aerobatics. They watched the airplane complete one practice run, which included a maneuver that they thought was a Cuban 8. They stated that as the airplane came out of the bottom of the maneuver the nose was pitched up about 30 degrees, and the airplane appeared to stall (no forward velocity), which they thought was intentional. The airplane started its second run and was performing this maneuver when the airplane dropped below a parked MD-11 commercial jetliner that was about 0.5 nm away. The airplane had the same nose up attitude. They did not see the airplane contact the ground, but estimated the height above the ground as 100 feet agl before it dropped behind the MD-11. The witnesses heard the engine "run-up" after they lost sight of the airplane and observed a column of brown dust rise up from the accident site . Investigators examined the airframe and engine. The engine inspection revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The airframe inspection included a detailed look at the elevator control system. Elevator travel was limited due to deformation of the belly and collapsed rear seat. All disconnections and breaks were attributed to impact forces.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,900 hours in all; 2,700 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 4,600 as pilot in command; 760 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 825 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,095 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming AEIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHV Mojave CA
- Destination: MHV Mojave CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from MHV, 1 miles away
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.
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.