# Accident 19980705015649A: Socata MS880B, Trinity Center, CA, July 5, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 5, 1998, 10:00 local time
- Place: Trinity Center, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.0495° N, 122.7792° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.0495&lon=-122.7792&mi=10
- Aircraft: N55BF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N55BF-2018-01-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Morane-Saulnier MS880B (registry code 5910304, https://openairdocs.org/model/morane-saulnier-ms880b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rolls-Royce 0-200-A (registry code 54532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-0-200-a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SOCATA MS880B
- Reported engine: RROYCE RRO200A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 3,000 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA223](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA223) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980705015649A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKN CIRCUMSTANCES, PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJ, ACFT WAS DESTROYED. TRINITY CENTER, CA. (FROM .4) THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TREES AND TERRAIN IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA ABOUT 30 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED IN A ROCKY STREAMBED ABOUT 35 FEET WIDE WHICH WAS SURROUNDED BY TREES.  THE TREES WERE APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET HIGH AND CAME RIGHT UP TO THE EDGE OF THE CREEK.  THERE WERE TREE LIMBS BROKEN OFF A TREE NEAR THE TOP JUST ABOVE AND ABOUT 10 FEET SOUTHEAST OF THE IMPACT SITE.  THERE WERE NO SIGNS OF DISTURBANCE ON AN OF THE OTHER TREES AROUND THE CREEK.  THE CREEK PARALLELS A ROAD WHICH PROCEEDS TO A MOUNTAIN PASS ABOUT 2 MILES TO THE NORTH OF THE SITE.  THE DEBRIS WAS CONTAINED TO AN AREA WITHIN A FEW FEET OF THE AIRCRAFT.  THE FLAPS WERE FOUND SET IN THE FULL-DOWN POSITION AT 30 DEGREES.  THE FUEL TANKS WERE RUPTURED, BUT THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF FUEL FOUND IN THE CARBURETOR.  THE ENGINE COULD NOT BE TURNED DUE TO EXTENSIVE DAMAGE; HOWEVER, NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES WERE FOUND DURING DISASSEMBLY.  NO DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND IN ANY AIRFRAME SYSTEM.  THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS CALCULATED TO BE ABOUT 7,100 FEET.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX98LA223](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA223), Jul 5, 1998: Morane-Saulnier MS 880B (N55BF), Trinity Center, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin while maneuvering in a mountainous area at low altitude, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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