- Date
- July 17, 1991, 20:05 local (Jul 18, 1991, 03:05 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Mathews, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N239GAJurca MJ5 Sirocco
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910717032159A
- Case key
- 27294
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's intentional low altitude flight which resulted in a collision with a power line static cable. Contributing to the accident was inadequate light conditions which reduced the pilot's ability to detect the power line.
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 certificated student pilot, after fueling his aircraft, invited the non-certificated fueler to go for a short flight to the practice area and back. The fueler left the pumps unattended and unlocked. They departed four minutes before official sunset. Witness saw the aircraft performing what appeared to be aerobatics then lost sight of them behind a hill. After a turn in the highway they again saw the aircraft , but in a nosedown fast spin in a near vertical attitude. FAA inspectors stated that the aircraft struck a power line static cable which severed the entire empennage. Friends of the pilot stated that he enjoyed low altitude contour flying and that they had warned him of the power line danger.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N239GA
- Reported as
- Jurca MJ5 Sirocco (MJ5 SIROCC)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 239
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Simon E. Richards
- Registered owner
- Simon E. Richards
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- CNO · Chino, 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
- 31
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 338 total · 18 in this make and model · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 290° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.