Amateur-built CHALLENGER II S accident near Pleasant Valley, Arizona, June 7, 1998
On June 7, 1998 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built CHALLENGER II S, registered N2NX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pleasant Valley, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Loss of engine power due to a loose spark plug wire cap caused by a broken spark plug retainer spring.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 1998 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pleasant Valley, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II S CHALLENGER
- Registration
- N2NX · no longer on the register · serial CH20391CW066
- 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 during cruise he noted a loss of rpm's and attempted to make an emergency landing in a dry sandy riverbed. After touchdown the landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft sank into the sand. The pilot inspected the engine and observed the following: a broken spark plug retainer spring and a loose spark plug wire cap.
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: 1,500 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1997; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirth 2703 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVA AZ at 7:15 pm
- Destination: GEU Glendale AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N2NX 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.