Aircraft Mfg & Dev. Co. (Amd) CH 2000 accident near Merced, California, May 15, 2007
On May 15, 2007 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Aircraft Mfg & Dev. Co. (Amd) CH 2000, registered N363AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Merced, California (Merced Municipal Airport). It was an instructional 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
The student pilot's inadvertent stall/mush during a simulated power loss after takeoff and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's lack of familiarity with the make/model of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2007 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Merced, California · Merced Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aircraft Mfg & Dev. Co. (Amd) CH 2000
- Registration
- N363AM · registry record · serial 20-1057
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor said the instructional flight was to prepare the student for his stage two check, which was to be followed by his first solo flight. The student had received 41.2 hours of instruction, with 5.4 hours in this make/model aircraft. The flight instructor had planned for a simulated engine failure after takeoff; it was the flight instructor's first practice simulated engine failure after takeoff in this make/model aircraft. He pulled the throttle to idle, but the student held the yoke in the climb attitude as opposed to nosing the airplane down for best glide speed. The flight instructor said that he realized the airspeed was low and the aircraft was in a high rate of descent, but his remedial attempts did not prevent a hard landing. The airplane's firewall was wrinkled, and the empennage and horizontal stabilizer were bent.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 512 hours in all; 23 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-N2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MER Atwater CA
- Destination: MER
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 5,903 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 2:53 am from MCE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.