Amateur-built WHEELER EXPRESS accident near Mariposa, California, September 14, 1995
On September 14, 1995 at about 11:00 pm local time, a amateur-built WHEELER EXPRESS, registered N360EZ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mariposa, California (Mariposa Yosimite 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 premature rotation and liftoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent hard touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 1995 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mariposa, California · Mariposa Yosimite · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WHEELER EXPRESS WHEELER EX
- Registration
- N360EZ · registry record · serial SJ2146
- 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 THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED AIRCRAFT. AFTER LIFTOFF, THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED AN UNEXPECTED DEPARTURE STALL AND SETTLED TO THE RUNWAY FROM ABOUT 12 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD AND COLLAPSED THE NOSE AND LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 10 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1995; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,985 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-ES1B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O68
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,310 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°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.
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.