Accident Overview
On February 6, 2026, at 1532 mountain standard time, a Tarragon airplane, N35RR, sustained substantial damage when it crashed near Shawmut, Arizona. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the passenger received serious injuries. The flight was conducted as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight History
According to flight track data from the airplane's onboard avionics suite, the airplane departed from Stellar Airpark (P19) in Chandler, Arizona, at approximately 1439. It flew south-southwest for about 26 nautical miles (nm), then turned west for an additional 26 nm before landing at Gila Bend Municipal Airport (E63) in Gila Bend, Arizona. After an immediate taxi back to the departure runway, the airplane took off again and headed east for about 14 nm, then turned northeast for about 1 nm, where the recorded data ended. The accident site was located approximately 2.4 nm north-northwest of the final recorded position.
Parachute System Examination
The airplane was equipped with a Galaxy GRS Parachute Rescue System. The parachute was found deployed at the accident scene; however, the bonded-on panels covering the parachute harness straps along the fuselage sides had not separated from the airplane. The rocket motor was found about 800 feet south of the main wreckage.
Propeller and Engine Examination
Examination of the airplane's primary flight control system revealed no preimpact anomalies. The landing gear was retracted, and the flaps were up. The propeller hub remained attached to the engine propeller flange. One blade remained attached to the hub; the other two blades were broken just outboard of the metal hub, with portions of each blade root retained in the hub. The propeller blades were of wood core construction with composite covering. All three propeller blades exhibited minimal damage, and the two separated blades were found near the accident site.
Initial engine examination found that the propeller flange could only be rotated a few degrees. Removal of the No. 1 and No. 2 cylinders revealed that the end of the No. 2 connecting rod attached to the crankshaft had failed.