Amateur-built WAIEX B accident near Laveen Village, Arizona, November 15, 2021
On November 15, 2021 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2018 amateur-built WAIEX B, registered N535D, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Laveen Village, Arizona (Hangar Haciendas airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the rocker swivel assembly due to either wear or corrosion, which resulted in a loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 15, 2021 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Laveen Village, Arizona · Hangar Haciendas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built WAIEX B, built 2018
- Registration
- N535D · no longer on the register · serial WXB0010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported the engine began running rough during cruise flight, and the airplane could not maintain altitude. The pilot initiated a forced landing to an airstrip and during the descent realized that he was not going to make the airstrip, so he elected to landed on the desert terrain. The airplane impacted rocks and a barbed wire fence which caused the airplane to nose over, which resulted in substantial damage to the wings, stabilizers, and ruddervators. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 exhaust rocker assembly swivel housing separated from the screw body, likely due to wear of the swivel and the swivel pad housing. This wear likely occurred because of either incorrect spacing between the pad and valve, or corrosion.
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 (partial) during enroute defining event
- Ground collision during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 550 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 2,300 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 28, 2021
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 145 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 10, 2021; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aerovee Turbo (piston); 145 hours total
- Operator: Air-Spaces LLC
The flight
- Departed from: GEU Glendale AZ at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08/2, 2,436 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:30 am from GEU, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 15, 2023. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | NTSB Airframe and Engine Examination Summary | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report 22-062 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.