Amateur-built Edge-540 accident near Warrenton, Virginia, October 7, 2003
On October 7, 2003 at about 8:10 pm local time, a amateur-built Edge-540, registered N540SH, was destroyed in an accident near Warrenton, Virginia (Warrenton-Fauquier airport). 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 failure to maintain aircraft control while performing aerobatic maneuvers.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 2003 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Warrenton, Virginia · Warrenton-Fauquier · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Edge-540
- Registration
- N540SH · no longer on the register · serial 0012
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing aerobatics for an upcoming air show. The airplane was observed in a vertical climb, followed by a downward spiral. The airplane then leveled off, and entered a flat spin, before it pitched down and impacted the ground. Examination of the airplane did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. The airplane had been operated for about 520 hours at the time of it's most recent condition inspection, which was performed about 3 weeks prior to the accident. The airplane had been operated for about 23 hours since the inspection. The pilot purchased the airplane about 8 months prior to the accident, and possessed a current statement of acrobatic competency.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,100 hours in all; 40 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 543 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 13, 2003; 520 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: W66 Warrenton VA
- Destination: W66
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from HEF, 12 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.
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.