- Date
- July 15, 1984, 12:15 local (19:15 UTC)
- Place
- Oroville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N711BSExperimental Amateur Built OWL Racer
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840715032529A
- Case key
- 24341
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 experimental/amateur built aircraft had just turned inbound for an exhibition race run when it experienced severe vibrations as the pilot applied full power. He headed for the runway and found that he could not control the engine with the throttle. He was unable to reach the magneto due to the awkward location of the switches. The pilot turned away from the runway due to the crowd of spectators near-by. He forced the aircraft into the ground. It hit, bounced and cartwheeled several times before coming to rest inverted in a stand of trees.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N711BS
- Reported as
- Experimental Amateur Built OWL Racer
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 29511-7-8
- Airframe hours
- 145
- Engine
- Continental O-200, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert E. Thomas
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 26, 1984 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- OVE · Oroville, CA
- Airport
- OVE · Oroville, runway 1, 5,960 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 27
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 50 in this make and model · 4,400 as pilot in command · 275 in the last 90 days · 200 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MYV, 23 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.