20071025826949A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Norwn APACHE* · Tracy, CA · October 25, 2007

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal NTSB investigation search

Date: October 25, 2007 · 20:00 local
Place: Tracy, CA
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: NONE
Reported as: Norwn APACHE*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Pilot’s flight hours: 0 total0 in this make and model0 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.

(-23) Pilot took off from 1Q4 in an unregistered aircraft sometime after sundown. Airplane descended into an almond orchard about 8 nautical miles east-southeast of Tracy, CA at an undetermined time between 2000 and 2400 hours. Wreckage indicates nose impact with wings folded. Pilot succumbed to forced blunt trauma injuries. There were no witnesses and no one was at the 1Q4 airport to witness his take off. Examination of the wreckage revealed components associated with the pullback shackle assembly were missing. This would certainly account for the wings being folded.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT TOOK OFF FROM 1Q4 IN AN UNREGISTERED AIRCRAFT SOMETIME AFTER SUNDOWN. AIRPLANE DESCENDED INTO AN ALMOND ORCHARD ABOUT 8 NAUTICAL MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF TRACY, CA AT AN UNDETERMINED TIME BETWEEN 2000 AND 2400 HOURS. WRECKAGE INDICATES NOSE IMPACT WITH WINGS FOLDED. PILOT SUCCUMBED TO FORCED BLUNT TRAUMA INJURIES. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES AND NO ONE WAS AT THE 1Q4 AIRPORT TO WITNESS HIS TAKE OFF. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED COMPONENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PULLBACK SHACKLE ASSEMBLY WERE MISSING. THIS WOULD CERTAINLY ACCOUNT FOR THE WINGS BEING FOLDED.