- Date
- March 5, 1983, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Simi, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N3124Thorp T-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830305006099A
- Case key
- 23433
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 acft crashed in a school playground in a steep uncontrolled descent. Witnesses said the acft was observed in a 60 degree nose down attitude at about 1000 ft AGL and this continued until ground impact. The engine was producing high power at this time. No witnesses saw the acft before the dive. Examination revealed that the cockpit control stick had failed and the aileron and stabilator cross-bar right mounting post tube welded area failed prior to the accident. A pre-existing crack had existed for some time on the cross-bar tube when this tube failed the flt controls jammed which prevented the plt from controlling the acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3124
- Reported as
- Thorp T-18
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- MC-68
- Airframe hours
- 506
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Eric J. Shaw & Associates
- Registered owner
- Ted J. Mason
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 15, 1982 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- VNY · Van Nuys, 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
- 19
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 195 total · 5 in this make and model · 118 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VYN, 13 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.