Amateur-built CHALLENGER II SPEC accident near Peoria, Arizona, February 26, 2013
On February 26, 2013 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1991 amateur-built CHALLENGER II SPEC, registered N107BW, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern base) near Peoria, Arizona (Pleasant Valley airport). It was a personal 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
A cracked cooling fan housing, which led to a malfunction of the ignition system and a loss of engine power during the landing approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 26, 2013 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Peoria, Arizona · Pleasant Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHALLENGER II SPEC, built 1991
- Registration
- N107BW · registry record · serial CH20291CW0647
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was practicing touch-and-go landings. The airplane's engine lost power while on the base leg of the traffic pattern, and the pilot decided to land on a dirt road. He landed uneventfully, but a wing collided with a road sign during the landing roll. The airplane spun off the road into desert terrain and sustained substantial damage to the wing and fuselage. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed a cracked cooling fan housing that likely resulted in misalignment of the magnets in the ignition system, which led to an ignition failure and loss of engine power. The fan housing was not a manufacturer-supplied part.
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 engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern base) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing (landing roll)
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Ignition system › Ignition power supply › Damaged/degraded
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Sign/marker › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,065 hours in all; 1,450 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,800 as pilot in command; 503 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 3, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,452 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 1,197 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P48 Peoria AZ at 4:10 pm
- Destination: P48 Peoria AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:58 pm from KLUF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.