Amateur-built EXPRESS SERIES 2000 accident near Camarillo, California, August 7, 2019
On August 7, 2019 at about 8:29 pm local time, a 2002 amateur-built EXPRESS SERIES 2000, registered N43FD, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Camarillo, California (Camarillo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed on final approach, which resulted in exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at an altitude that precluded recovery.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2019 · about 8:29 pm local time
- Place
- Camarillo, California · Camarillo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built EXPRESS SERIES 2000 No Series, built 2002
- Registration
- N43FD · no longer on the register · serial DAVIS 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and passenger were landing at the destination airport following a cross-country flight. Witnesses saw the airplane on final approach for landing when it entered a right bank followed by a steep, nose-down descent. The airplane impacted the ground several hundred feet short of the runway threshold. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given the available information, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain airspeed on final approach, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low for recovery.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,395 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 172.1 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 26, 2019; 29 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-550-N1B (piston); 172 hours total
- Operator: N43Fd Airplane LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: TPH Tonopah NV at 6:45 pm
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 26, 6,013 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KCMA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
11 documents, released by the NTSB on October 27, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airport Statements | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Tower Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Site Notes | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Airframe and Engine Examination Notes | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Aircraft Logbook | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Engine Logbook | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Propeller Logbook | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Fuel Receipt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 9 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.