Extra Flugzeugrau GMBH EA 300/L accident near Boise, Idaho, July 9, 2004
On July 9, 2004, a Extra Flugzeugrau GMBH EA 300/L, registered N609JW, was destroyed in an accident near Boise, Idaho. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain clearance with terrain during descent while conducting an aerobatic maneuver. Low altitude flight was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2004
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Extra Flugzeugrau GMBH EA 300/L
- Registration
- N609JW · no longer on the register · serial 033
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a variety of aerobatic maneuvers in a low level aerobatic box over flat desert terrain. Two cameras positioned to document the flight sequence revealed the pilot initiated a loop maneuver by pulling the nose of the airplane up into a vertical climb attitude and continuing to the top of the maneuver until in an inverted position. The pilot continued the maneuver by descending on the back side of the loop. As the aircraft was approaching the bottom of the maneuver in an approximately 20 degree nose down, wings level attitude at an altitude of less than 100 feet above ground level, the airplane was observed to make a quick shallow left bank, followed immediately by a second shallow bank to the right. The airplane's wings then momentarily returned to a level attitude before impacting flat open terrain with its right main landing gear and right wing tip. The pilot said he couldn't remember the specific maneuver prior to making contact with the ground, and could not recall being concerned with not having enough clearance to complete the maneuver. A post accident examination of the airplane failed to reveal any anomalies which would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,561 hours in all; 353 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 2,456 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 19, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 734 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 13, 2003; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,095 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
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.
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.