- Date
- June 7, 1986, 10:38 local (17:38 UTC)
- Place
- Merced, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N615EZNelson/Nelson Varieze
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 3, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860607081419A
- Case key
- 24961
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
While on final approach witnesses observed the aircraft to be low and slow when the wing collided with a light stanchion (5' high). The left wing banked sharply to the left, hit the ground and the acft cartwheeled. The pilot reported no mechanical problems with the acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N615EZ
- Reported as
- Nelson/Nelson Varieze
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 615
- Airframe hours
- 54
- Engine
- Continental C-90, 90 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard F. Nelson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · February 6, 1986 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- SBP · San Luis Obispo, CA
- Destination
- MCE · Merced, CA
- Airport
- MCE · Merced Muni, runway 30, 5,903 × 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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 391 total · 39 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCE, 1 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.