American Champion (Acac) 8KCAB accident near Marana, Arizona, March 12, 1994
On March 12, 1994 at about 5:35 pm local time, a American Champion (Acac) 8KCAB, registered N189AC, was destroyed in an accident near Marana, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's delayed pullout from a vertical aerobatic maneuver for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 12, 1994 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Marana, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Champion (Acac) 8KCAB
- Registration
- N189AC · registry record · serial 721-93
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident was witnessed by several International Aerobatic Club judges, who were grading the pilot's aerobatic routine. The pilot performed the 1994 Intermediate Known Sequence, which was to be followed by a hammerhead turn course reversal to include a 1/4 roll on the up line and a 1/4 roll on the down line. After the hammerhead turn, the aircraft was descending on the vertical line and the witnesses did not see the pilot attempt to pull out until very near the ground when a 10- to 15-degree attitude change was noted. The witnesses said the engine continued at near full power throughout the maneuver to ground impact. All of the aircraft components were accounted for in the wreckage path. The entire flight control system was documented, with no discrepancies noted.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 45 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 84 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1993; 84 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-H1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E14 Avra Valley AZ at 5:15 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from TUS, 22 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.
Other NTSB records under N189AC 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.