Paradise Aircraft USA LLC P1 accident near Glendale, Arizona, March 19, 2022
On March 19, 2022 at about 3:36 pm local time, a 2015 Paradise Aircraft USA LLC P1, registered N101YY, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Glendale, Arizona (Glendale Municipal airport). It was an instructional 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 total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight fuel inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 2022 · about 3:36 pm local time
- Place
- Glendale, Arizona · Glendale Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Paradise Aircraft USA LLC P1, built 2015
- Registration
- N101YY · registry record · serial 178
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that he had observed the student pilot use a dipstick to determine the fuel quantity. They then departed for a training flight with the belief that they had 10 gallons of fuel. They performed flight maneuvers for about 20 minutes then returned to the airport for pattern work. On the third takeoff, about 300 ft above ground level (agl), the engine experienced a total loss of power. The flight instructor initiated a forced landing to a road where the airplane struck a curb, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. After a debrief with the student, it was discovered by the flight instructor that the student may have inserted the fuel dipstick into the tank at an angle instead of vertically and got a higher level indication of fuel quantity. A postaccident examination of the wing tanks by the recovery agency, revealed less than a half-gallon of fuel remaining in the tanks. The pilot reported there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during takeoff defining event
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Inadequate inspection
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 556.5 hours in all; 11.4 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 14.9 in the last 30 days; 383.7 as pilot in command; 142 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 15, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 8.7 in this make and model; 5.6 in the last 90 days; 1.3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 422.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 4,223 hours total
- Operator: Executive Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: GEU Glendale AZ at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 7,150 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 am from KGEU
Weather report (METAR): KGEU 191556Z 00000KT 10SM SKC 17/M05 A3005
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on June 30, 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Fuel Exam Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | 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.