Amateur-built 235 accident near Cordes Lakes, Arizona, October 24, 2020
On October 24, 2020 at about 5:28 pm local time, a 1998 amateur-built 235, registered N25NL, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Cordes Lakes, Arizona. 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 exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during an aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and spin and a loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of aerobatic experience in the accident airplane make and model.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2020 · about 5:28 pm local time
- Place
- Cordes Lakes, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 235, built 1998
- Registration
- N25NL · no longer on the register · serial 221
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a visual flight rules cross-country flight. Data downloaded from the airplane’s avionics showed that, during cruise flight about 17 minutes after takeoff, the pilot executed a left 360° roll. During the maneuver, the airplane descended more than 1,000 ft, and its vertical acceleration increased from -0.7 to 2.9 G. A few seconds after the completion of the roll maneuver, the engine rpm and oil pressure decreased to zero, and the airplane’s attitude, accelerations, and airspeed parameters became unreliable. A friend of the pilot reported that the pilot had recently learned how to perform rolls in a different make and model of airplane, but no further details were available. Wreckage and impact signatures were consistent with the airplane impacting terrain in an inverted spin. Postaccident examination of the airplane confirmed continuity to all flight control surfaces, and no engine or airframe anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot intentionally attempted an aerobatic maneuver, lost airplane control, and exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in a stall, a subsequent spin, and an impact with terrain. The ethanol identified in the pilot’s cavity blood was most likely the result of postmortem production. Therefore, effects from ethanol did not play a role in this accident.
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
- Abrupt maneuver during enroute (cruise)
- Loss of control in flight during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during enroute (cruise)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,090 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 5:11 pm
- Destination: PGA Page AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KPRC, 29 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KPRC 241753Z 15009KT 10SM CLR 21/03 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP132 T02060028 10206 20078 58001
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
16 documents, released by the NTSB on December 1, 2022. 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.
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.