- Date
- October 22, 1992, 18:18 local (Oct 23, 1992, 01:18 UTC)
- Place
- Lompoc, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N65JPPasporello, J.F. RV-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921022044349A
- Case key
- 27848
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 failure of an unidentified airframe or component system for unknown reasons and the resulting inflight fire.
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 recently purchased the experimental home built airplane. The pilot indicated to an acquaintance that he planned to fly over the witness' house and show him his airplane. The witness reported that he observed the airplane perform a 120 degree climbing turn which was followed by an abrupt left climbing turn, and then a fire was observed. Other witnesses reported seeing a fire around both wings, and then the airplane descended at a high rate of speed until colliding with the hard ground in a nose low pitch attitude. A fire immediately erupted which further destroyed the fragmented structure. The event which precipitated the in flight fire was not determined. The airplane's slide type canopy, which smelled of smoke, was found about 1 mile from the crash site.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N65JP
- Reported as
- Pasporello, J.F. RV-3
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 523
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles L. Wynne
- Registered owner
- Donald Moxham
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
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
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 8,300 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.