Amateur-built Aircamper SDE accident near Sahuarita, Arizona, December 21, 2007
On December 21, 2007, a amateur-built Aircamper SDE, registered N7229R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sahuarita, Arizona (Flying Diamond 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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed. A contributing factor was the pilot's distraction due to the presence of an automobile, which appeared to encroach upon the runway environment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2007 · cases in 2007
- Place
- Sahuarita, Arizona · Flying Diamond · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Aircamper SDE
- Registration
- N7229R · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot observed a car approaching the runway when he was on short final approach for landing at the uncontrolled airport. It appeared to the pilot that the car would cross the runway at midfield just about the time he would be on the landing rollout crossing the same area. The pilot abruptly applied full throttle; however, the engine's power did not increase. The pilot failed to maintain adequate airspeed to touchdown normally, which resulted in a hard landing. Thereafter, the airplane veered off the runway and came to rest with a bent airframe.
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: 161 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6AZ8 Sahuarita AZ
- Destination: 6AZ8 AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,650 ft by 35 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N7229R on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Continental A-65 33 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Flying Diamond Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,436 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX08CA040.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.