- Date
- September 12, 1992, 13:52 local (20:52 UTC)
- Place
- Chico, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N45DHWarren-Thomas BD-5J
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920912036359A
- Case key
- 27759
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 misjudged the aerobatic maneuver recovery altitude.
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 airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, was nearing completion of an aerobatics demonstration flight at an air show. Witnesses observed the pilot perform a 'split s' maneuver, during which time the experimental micro jet was rolled inverted to a nose down attitude. The airplane descended from the entry portion of the maneuver in a wings level dive to about a 60 to 70 degree nose down attitude until colliding with the ground. A video tape taken by a spectator shows that the airplane's attitude did not change prior to impact. There were no mechanical malfunctions found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N45DH
- Reported as
- Warren-Thomas BD-5J
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 13B
- Airframe hours
- 238
- Engine
- Microturbo TRS-18-046, 220 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Hoover, David
- Registered owner
- Airborne Technology Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 14, 1992 · 28 hours before
- Airport
- CIC · Chico
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 26,500 total · 238 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CIC, 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.