Azalea Aviation LLC Saberwing accident near Justin, Texas, April 12, 2025
On April 12, 2025, a 2019 Azalea Aviation LLC Saberwing, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N121DF, was destroyed in an accident during approach near Justin, Texas (Propwash Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 12, 2025
- Place
- Justin, Texas · Propwash Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Azalea Aviation LLC Saberwing, built 2019, amateur-built
- Registration
- N121DF · registry record · serial SW-011
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On April 11, 2025, about 1906 central daylight time (CDT), an experimental amateur-built Azalea Aviation LLC Saberwing, N121DF, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Justin, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the airframe kit manufacturer, the pilot was returning to Propwash Airport (16X), Justin, Texas. He departed the Valdosta Regional Airport (VLD) Valdosta, Georgia about 1120 eastern daylight time, with a stop at the Ralph C. Weiser Field Airport (AGO) Magnolia, Arkansas. ADS-B data showed that the airplane arrived at AGO about 1621 CDT. About that time, the manufacturer received a text from the pilot who informed him that he arrived at AGO, needed fuel, all was running well, and that he would try to make it home today. Preliminary ADS-B data showed the airplane depart AGO about 1705 CDT and ascended to 4,300 ft mean sea level (msl) on a westerly heading toward 16X. About 1900 CDT the flight track data showed the airplane descended from 2,275 ft to about 1,250 ft and made a series of maneuvers and altitude changes that were consistent with entering the airport traffic pattern. A witness, located at the airport, described seeing the airplane while it was on the downwind leg for runway 35 at a low altitude when it made the base leg turn. Witnesses located in a housing community about 0.6 miles south of the airport saw the airplane heading south, turn left, when the left wing dropped, and the airplane turned upside down. One witness saw the airplane spin about one and a half revolutions before it descended out of their sight behind a house. No witnesses reported seeing the airplane impact the terrain. The airplane came to rest upright in an open field, about .5 miles southwest of the threshold for runway 35, on a heading of 200° magnetic, and an elevation of about 762 ft msl. The first point of impact was directly underneath the engine which was embedded in the soil about ten inches. A postaccident fire consumed most of the airframe. All major components of the airplane remained adjacent to the fuselage except for the upper structure of the left wing and portions of the fractured canopy, which were located near the main wreckage. A small debris area extended about 30 ft around the wreckage. The wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.
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 approach defining event
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: AGO Magnolia AR
- Destination: 16X Justin TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.16 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KAFW, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAFW 112353Z 36003KT 10SM CLR 25/05 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP205 T02500050 10261 20244 56019
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25FA127.