20000409011019A

(-23) On April 9, 2000, at approximately 0715 hrs. Pacific daylight time (PDT), a fouga 6 cm 170, N495F, was destroyed when the aircraft impacted terrain in an open field, level pasture, 3 miles north of san joaquin, CA. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The personal fligth was operated by the owner under 14 CFR 91. The commerical certificated pilot and on passenger were fatally injures. The aircraft departed from fresno-chandler downtown airport, fresno, CA. At approximately 0700. Three witnesses (in differnet locations) stated they observed the aicraft performing aerobatic flight maneuvers. The wreckage was distributed in a south-to-north direction over about 120 feet with some small debris as FAR as 300 feet. There was a postcrash fire. (.4)on April 9, 2000, at 0715 hours pacific daylight time, a fouga 6 cm 170, N495F, was destroyed when the aircraft impacted terrain in an open, level pasture, 3 miles north of san joaquin, California. No flight plan was filed and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The personal flight was operated by the owner under 14 CFR part 91. The commercial certificated pilo t and the student certificated second pilot were fatally injured. The aircraft departed from fresno-chandler downtown airport, fresno, California, at 0700. A witness, who observed the aircraft from about 1 mile north of the accident site, said his attention was attracted to the aircraft because the sun angle was low and the airplane was "shiny like a mirror." From his position he was looking up at a 45-degree angle. As he watched, the airplane performed two complete loops, then one horizontal roll, and then another roll while coming toward him from south to north. As the plane was just coming out of the second roll he thought "something happened" because the airplane entered a spin and fell "like a piece of paper" to the ground. This witness said the engine noise was "real loud, roaring like a rocket" as the aircraft spun to the ground. He thought the aircraft was going almost straight down during the spin. Another witness was standing in the front yard of his home about 1/4-mile southeast of the accident site. The sun had risen but was low in the east. The sky was clear and the visibility was good. As he looked to the northwest his attention was attracted to the aircraft because it "glistened" high in the sky. He estimated that the aircraft was about 2,000 feet AGL going straight down and rolling to the left. The engine noise was "screaming," and he estimated the aircraft continued that way for 10 seconds. Then the roll stopped and the nose of the plane started to level. The witness thought the pilot would "swoop on out." The airplane continued to level for about 5 seconds; however, during this time the engine noise was quiet. The aircraft then rolled abruptly to the right, opposite the previous direction of roll, the nose dropped, and the airplane completed two rolls to the right before impacting the ground. During the two rolls, the flight path angle was about 45 degrees down and the aircraft was traveling in a northerly direction. The engine noise was quiet. A third witness, who observed the accident from about 1/2 mile east of the accident site, said his attention was attracted to the airplane by the loud engine roar that he compared to the reverse thrust roar jet airplanes make after landing. When he first saw it, the airplane was about 2,000 feet and spiraled down to about 200 feet, where he thought the pilot was "pulling out," and then the airplane spun again to the ground. When he first saw the airplane he thought it was diving nose first, straight down, and then changed to a nose low, upright attitude. At 200 feet the turning stopped, the nose came up, then the nose dropped, and the aircraft spun to the ground. The second pilot's fiancee said that he was learning to fly and he was very excited about it. She was excited for him. She said that he had met the pilot at the chandler airport about 1 week before the accident. He again talked with the pilot the evening before the accident (Saturday evening, April 8, 2000), and arranged to go for a flight in the fouga the following morning. She said that he told her that night that they were going out to perform "maneuvers, top gun type of stuff." He was to pay the cost of gas and they went that evening and he drew out $800 cash because "that's how much it's going to be." He had the $800 in cash with him when he left her the morning of the accident.