Upset Training Aircraft Crash Kills Two

An Extra 300L operated by Aviation Performance Solutions LLC (APS) crashed Friday, killing two aboard. APS offers upset recovery and spin training. APS instructor Jim “Clap” Clapper was killed in the crash along with another pilot identified by a local CBS news affiliate as “an experienced commercial pilot.” Clapper is a former F-4 and F-105 pilot. He had 20 years and 1,400 hours experience flying competition aerobatics, with 8 years flying competitive unlimited aerobatics. In 1995 Clapper was Arizona State Champion — Advanced Aerobatics. Clapper was employed with the school as an instructor in aerobatics, upset recovery and spin training. The aircraft was returning from a training flight when it crashed approximately eight miles east of the Phoenix/Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona. “The type of maneuvers they were doing during that flight were very basic, nothing advanced,” said Paul Ransbury, president of APS. “It is clear that numerous families were affected by this terrible tragedy,” he said. “Our deepest sympathies and prayers are with all of those who were involved in this tragic accident and their families.”