Amateur-built Fly Baby accident near Arlington, Arizona, April 4, 2007
On April 4, 2007 at about 5:38 pm local time, a amateur-built Fly Baby, registered N101LX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arlington, Arizona. 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 exceeding the design stress limits of the aircraft while maneuvering in intentional aerobatics.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 4, 2007 · about 5:38 pm local time
- Place
- Arlington, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Fly Baby
- Registration
- N101LX · no longer on the register · serial LBX101
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed the airport for a local personal flight in the amateur built experimental-category airplane. About 25 minutes after takeoff, the airplane was observed flying in an easterly direction at an undetermined altitude. The witness reported hearing the engine slow down and then speed up. Seconds later, the witness heard "what sounded like an explosion" followed by the airplane falling to the ground in multiple pieces. The witness was located approximately 1 mile from where the wreckage came to rest. Post accident examination of the wreckage revealed that the right wing's forward and aft solid flying wires, turnbuckles and respective wire anchor attachment brackets remained intact, however the attachment brackets were separated from the forward and aft spar assemblies. The four through bolts (AN3 3/16-inch-diameter) associated with the forward brackets were fractured along the bolt shank near the bolt head. The bolts were necked down and were bent near the fracture points; the fracture surfaces were angular. Only two of the four through bolts associated with the aft bracket were recovered and similar findings were noted; the bolts were necked down and the fracture surfaces were angular. The builder's instruction manual for the airplane recommends AN3 (3/16-inch-diameter) anchor attach bracket bolts for standard operations and AN4 (1/4-inch-diameter) anchor attach bracket bolts if aerobatics are intended to be performed in the airplane. The specified anchor attachment bracket bolts (both AN3 and AN4) range in length from 5-1/2-inches to 6-3/4-inches. A personal friend of the pilot reported that about 2 weeks before the accident, the pilot completed a flight in the accident airplane. Upon returning from the flight, the pilot stated that he had completed a "slow roll." The pilot stated the airplane performed well during the flight.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,114 hours in all; 60 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BXK Buckeye AZ at 5:13 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 pm from KPHX, 32 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.