Extra Flugzeugbau GMBH EA 300/L accident near Jerome, Idaho, September 2, 2015
On September 2, 2015 at about 1:40 am local time, a 1996 Extra Flugzeugbau GMBH EA 300/L, registered N4BM, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering (aerobatics) near Jerome, Idaho (Jerome County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while conducting a low-altitude aerobatic maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 2015 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Jerome, Idaho · Jerome County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Extra Flugzeugbau GMBH EA 300/L L, built 1996 · all EA 300/Ls on the register
- Registration
- N4BM · no longer on the register · serial 017
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a local personal flight. A witness located at the airport reported that he observed the accident airplane take off and then head southwest. He then observed the airplane perform a loop, and he estimated that, at the top of the maneuver, the airplane was about 1,500 ft above ground level. As the airplane began leveling off at the bottom of the loop, it descended out of the witness's line of sight behind a building. The pilot reported that he did not recall anything about the flight. Postaccident examination of the recovered wreckage did not reveal any preexisting mechanical malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Wreckage and impact signatures were consistent with a high-energy, low-angle impact with terrain. It is likely that the pilot did not properly gauge the airplane's distance from terrain while conducting the low-altitude aerobatic maneuver and failed to level off in time to avoid impacting terrain.
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
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (aerobatics) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering (aerobatics)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 100 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 16, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: rear
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 587.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 2, 2014; 12.6 hours since
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JER Jerome ID at 1:35 am
- Destination: JER Jerome ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KJER, 1 miles away
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.