Amateur-built GN-1 AIR CAMPIER accident near Paulden, Arizona, May 24, 2010
On May 24, 2010 at about 4:30 pm local time, a amateur-built GN-1 AIR CAMPIER, registered N129JR, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Paulden, Arizona (Big Springs Ranch 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 loss of airplane control for undetermined reasons while on final approach to land.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2010 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Paulden, Arizona · Big Springs Ranch Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built GN-1 AIR CAMPIER
- Registration
- N129JR · no longer on the register · serial 150
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the experimental airplane was in the process of executing a series of touch-and-go takeoffs and landings at a dirt airstrip. About 20 minutes into the flight, during the approach for another one of the touch-and-go landings, he lost control of the airplane and it descended steeply into the terrain about 100 feet off to the side of the approach end of the runway. There were no witnesses to the crash sequence, and the pilot, who was conscious and communicative at the scene, said that he did not know what had caused the crash sequence to occur. He later died at the hospital from injuries suffered during the crash. A postaccident inspection of the airplane's airframe, and a teardown inspection of its engine, did not reveal any anomalies that would have contributed to a loss of control or a failure of the engine to produce its full rated horsepower.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 28,000 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 60 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 15, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor C90-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AZ27 Paulden AZ at 4:10 pm
- Destination: AZ27 Paulden AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.