Amateur-built ULTIMATE 10-300S accident near Yuma, Arizona, April 12, 1997
On April 12, 1997 at about 2:35 am local time, a amateur-built ULTIMATE 10-300S, registered N325GP, was destroyed in an accident near Yuma, Arizona (Yuma Mcas/Yuma Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 vertical clearance from the runway, while flying inverted. Factors relating to the accident were: the light conditions at dusk, and the pilot's lack of visual ques due to the light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 1997 · about 2:35 am local time
- Place
- Yuma, Arizona · Yuma Mcas/Yuma Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ULTIMATE 10-300S ULTIMATE 1
- Registration
- N325GP · registry record · serial 300-001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An air show routine was being performed at sunset, which involved a giant ring of flames at center stage of the show. Once established on the last pass through the ring of fire, the pilot planned to fly inverted and cut a ribbon with the propeller blades. She reported that while flying inverted during the third pass, the airplane impacted the ground. The pilot stated that she remembered the turn-around, rolling inverted, and establishing her sight picture for the run-in. However, the next few seconds were a total blank in her memory, with her visual picture resuming with the sparks created by the inverted slide. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical difficulties with the airplane. An FAA inspector reported that the 'Ring of Fire' routine required the pilot to fly directly into the setting sun, then turn around for the inverted pass. The inspector established on-scene that no mechanical or engine abnormalities had occurred.
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: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 21,060 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 10,800 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,532 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 25, 1996; 231 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: YUM at 2:28 am
- Destination: YUM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21L, 9,239 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:37 am from NYL
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.