- Date
- March 27, 1982, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rialto, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7719Fournier RF4D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 27, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820327006109A
- Case key
- 72377
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that when the accident occurred, he was soaring his "motor-glider" in updrafts of "thermal, slope-wind, and wave" origin. He reported that thermals and a weak southwest wind were producing lift along ridges with walls that were facing west, southwest, and south. Reportedly, he was flying in these areas, in and out of canyons, with the engine operating at a fast idle to reduce drag. While flying westward, he encountered an area of lift where he maneuvered and climbed from 2900 to 3100 ft. from there, he started to follow a west facing wall of a north connecting ridge when he encountered a sudden, very strong, downdraft. He applied full throttle and turned left to follow a canyon that dropped away to the west, but the aircraft struck a rocky outcropping at an elevation of approximately 3000 ft MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7719
- Reported as
- Fournier RF4D
- Category
- Glider, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 4049
- Airframe hours
- 1,744
- Engine
- Rectimo 4AR, 40 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John Robinson
- Registered owner
- John Robinson
- Departed
- Rialto, CA
- Destination
- Rialto, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 68
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,550 total · 636 in this make and model · 3,443 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 8 knots
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7719 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.