Amateur-built Fly Baby 1 accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona, April 28, 2007
On April 28, 2007, a amateur-built Fly Baby 1, registered N3124L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Canyon, Arizona. 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 failure to maintain clearance from a fence during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 2007
- Place
- Grand Canyon, Arizona
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Fly Baby 1
- Registration
- N3124L · no longer on the register · serial 83-3
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he decided to return to the destination airport after flying for about an hour. After completing a 180-degree turn, the airplane began losing altitude. The pilot reported that the throttle was full-in, and the airplane was maintaining sufficient airspeed; however, the reason for the altitude loss could not be ascertained. The pilot said he then elected to make a precautionary landing in an open field. While on final, the landing gear wheels struck a barbed wire fence, which pulled the wheels up, and the airplane immediately nosed over after touchdown. The pilot reported no mechanical problems 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: 180 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 925 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCN Grand Canyon AZ
- Destination: GCN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
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 N3124L 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.