What happened
On the day of the incident, an aircraft departed from Mexicali Airport carrying a single pilot. The flight was part of a coordinated experimental test conducted for the Mexican Civil Aviation Authority and several international agencies. The objective of the mission was to perform a controlled crash into the Laguna Salada region as part of a television production involving producers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, and the United States.
As the aircraft approached the desert landscape near the Mexican 5 Highway, approximately 30 km southwest of Mexicali, the pilot performed a bailout. Following the pilot's departure, the aircraft maintained a relatively level flight attitude for several seconds. The aircraft was configured with its landing gear and flaps in the down position. The flight ended when the aircraft struck a sandy area with significant force. The impact caused the undercarriage to fail and resulted in the aircraft breaking into two separate pieces.
Findings
- The pilot had exited the aircraft before the final impact occurred.
- The impact with the terrain caused the structural failure of the airframe.