37.3114° N, 120.4704° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Merced, CA, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
May 9, 1981 · 11:30 local
Place
Merced, CA
Phase of flight
Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N776S
Reported as
Ayres S2*
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
18,000 total1,600 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
During takeoff carb heat butterfly valve malfunctioned. Aircraft hit berm and crashed.
As the FAA filed it
DURING TAKEOFF CARB HEAT BUTTERFLY VALVE MALFUNCTIONED. AIRCRAFT HIT BERM AND CRASHED.