Amateur-built AIR CREATION TWIN accident near Gila Bend, Arizona, March 17, 2024
On March 17, 2024 at about 4:42 pm local time, a 1998 amateur-built AIR CREATION TWIN (weight-shift aircraft), registered N4425L, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Gila Bend, Arizona (Gila Bend Muni airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of control and subsequent collision with a mesquite tree on approach to land.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2024 · about 4:42 pm local time
- Place
- Gila Bend, Arizona · Gila Bend Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AIR CREATION TWIN, built 1998
- Registration
- N4425L · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-pilot-rated passenger in the front seat reported that he was in the process of purchasing the weight-shift-control aircraft from the pilot seated in the rear seat. The pilot was providing the passenger with instruction to gain flight experience and to familiarize him with the flight characteristics of the aircraft. Before departure, the pilot briefed the passenger that they would take off and fly in the local area then return to the airport to practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. The pilot briefed that the passenger would fly the approach and that the pilot would perform the landing. The passenger reported that the flight was about 45 minutes and they had performed one touch-and-go. During the second approach, on the final leg of the airport traffic pattern, the passenger was on the controls, the pilot called out “my airplane” and took the flight controls. The aircraft drifted to the right of the runway centerline and overflew the unimproved desert surface that consisted of brush and mesquite trees. The pilot increased the engine power and maneuvered the aircraft to the left toward the runway. During the descending left turn back to the runway, the aircraft’s approach speed was fast, and the aircraft collided with a 10-ft tall mesquite tree, subsequently impacting the ground about 85 ft to the right of the runway surface. The passenger reported that the engine sounded strong, and there were no observable aircraft malfunctions before the collision with the tree. The nearest weather reporting facility, 5 miles from the accident site, recorded calm wind at the time of the accident. Postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have contributed to a loss of control.
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
- Attempted remediation/recovery during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of control in flight during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Flight time: 44.7 hours in all; 44.7 in this make and model; 5.3 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 21, 2021
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
Passenger
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 5,200 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 am from KGXF, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KGXF 171655Z AUTO 00000KT 9SM FEW013 SCT065 14/10 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP175 T01360096 FZRANO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on March 12, 2026. 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 | Record of Conversation -passenger, Witness, Pilot's Nok | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Logbook Excerpts | PDF, 15 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 7 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Airworthiness Certificate | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
| 5 | Examination Summary | PDF, 10 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 6 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
Other NTSB records under N4425L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.