- Date
- April 2, 1987, 08:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Upland, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N9655SChampion 7ECA
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870402010469A
- Case key
- 25395
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 took off from his home airport for a sight-seeing, local flight over nearby mountains. Although the rear seat passenger weighed 270 lbs and the aircraft's fuel tanks were assumed to be full, there is no evidence that the pilot calculated the aircraft's weight and balance data for the flight. The aircraft impacted the mountainous terrain with evidence indicating that the engine was producing power. The evidence indicated that the aircraft had been climbing up the steeply rising canyon, attempted to reverse course, and collided with the canyon wall.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9655S
- Reported as
- Champion 7ECA
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 236
- Airframe hours
- 1,821
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Duricka, Robert L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Utility; Standard, Aerobatic
- Departed
- CCB · 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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 850 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ONT, 7 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.