- Date
- March 11, 1983, 20:15 local (Mar 12, 1983, 04:15 UTC)
- Place
- Fiddletown, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N444NRyan Navion A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830311010239A
- Case key
- 23435
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 into hilly terrain while descending to enter the traffic pattern at the rancho murieta airport. The pilot had called sacramento fss to get assistance in locating this arpt which is about 11 NM from sacramento VOR on a bearing of about 65 degrees magnetic. Witnesses saw the acft at below 1000 ft AGL descending in the direction of Fiddletown shortly before the accident. The weather was VMC and visibility was good but it was after dark. A witness near the accident site heard the acft go over him at low alt. He saw the acft lights as it descended into the hills there were flames visible almost immediately after the impact. He stated that the engine sounds were normal and seemed to be at a high RPM setting. He estimated that the acft descended about 200 ft in 1/2 mile.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N444N
- Reported as
- Ryan Navion A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- NAV-4-1295
- Airframe hours
- 2,250
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Winters Flying Club, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1982
- Departed
- 2Q3 · Winters, 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
- 66
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SAC, 17 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.