- Date
- September 26, 1992, 13:03 local (20:03 UTC)
- Place
- Hollister, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N25EHLanceair 235
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920926038779A
- Case key
- 27778
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 performing the final segment of a visual approach at too low of an altitude resulting in an inflight collision with a guy wire.
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
According to witnesses, the airplane was making a landing approach less than a mile from the airport when it struck a guy wire at a height of about 30 feet above the ground. The airplane went into an uncontrolled descent until it struck the ground. The witnesses reported hearing the airplane's engine running at a 'high speed' after the airplane collided with the wire. The airplane was examined on-scene by an FAA aviation safety inspector. He attributed all noted damage to the airplane to impact forces sustained during the accident sequence and reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25EH
- Reported as
- Lanceair 235
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 014
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290-GPU, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Earl R. Heldt
- Registered owner
- Earl R. Heldt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- 3O7
- Destination
- 3O7
- Airport
- 3O7 · Hollister Municipal, runway 31, 3,975 × 100 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
- 75
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 570 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 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.