- Date
- September 21, 1993, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hesperia, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N16RMMcinroy DER Jager DIX
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 1, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930921035319A
- Case key
- 28485
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
Failure of the pilot to lean the aircraft's fuel mixture for the airport's density 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 pilot failed to lean the airplane's fuel mixture before takeoff. The airplane climbed to an altitude of 20 feet above the ground then settled to the ground and collided with the terrain.
Factual narrative
On September 21, 1993, at 1300 hours Pacific daylight time, an amateur built McInroy Der Jager DIX airplane, N16RM, collided with the terrain after experienceing an inflight loss of control shortly after departing Runway 21 at the Hesperia Airport, Hesperia, California. The airplane, registered to and operated by the pilot, was substantially damaged. The certificated private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The flight was destined for Trona, California.
The pilot reported to the Federal Aviation Admnistration (FAA), Riverside Flight Standards District Office, that he had just refueled the airplane. He stated he failed to lean the fuel mixture for the airport's high density altitude. After departing runway 21, the airplane climbed to an altitude of 20 feet above the ground and then settled to the ground over an open field southwest of the airport.
The pilot indicated his total flight experience was about 3,000 hours of which 10 hours were in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N16RM
- Reported as
- Mcinroy DER Jager DIX (DER JAGER)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 165
- Airframe hours
- 260
- Engine
- Lycoming O-235-C1, 115 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ramer, Fred M.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 18, 1993 · 1 hours before
- Destination
- L72 · Trona, CA
- Airport
- L26 · Hesperia, runway 21, 3,910 × 50 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
- 71
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 10 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RAL, 26 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.