Varieze RUATAN N1182Z

Summary

On 5 December 1982 at about 21:45 local time, a Varieze RUATAN registered N1182Z, operated by Lloyd J MacDowell, JR., was involved in an accident near Riverside, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

5 December 1982 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Riverside, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Varieze RUATAN

Registration

N1182Z

Category

Unknown

Engines

1

Operator

Lloyd J MacDowell, JR.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Riverside → Riverside

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX83FA048

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

WITNESSES STATED HE HEARD AND SAW THE AIRCRAFT FLYING (RATHER SLOW AND LOW) OVER THE CANYON. HE HEARD THE ENGINE "SPUTTERING" AND THEN OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT APPEAR TO STALL FOLLOWED BY A STEEP DESCENT INTO THE HILLY TERRAIN. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A STEEP NOSE LOW ATTITUDE AT THE 1300 FOOT LEVEL ON A STEEP HILLSIDE AND EXPLODED. POST IMPACT FIRE DESTROYED ALL BUT PORTIONS OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT WING, WINGLETS, ENGINE PROPELLER HUB, AIR SCOOP AND PORTIONS OF THE COCKPIT INSTRUMENTATION. THE BASIC ENGINE SHOWED NO PREIMPACT FAILURE AND AMPLE LUBRICATION WAS EVIDENT. BOTH MAGNETOS FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. THE FUEL GASCOLATOR BOWL WAS CONTAMINATED, AS WERETHE FILTER SCREENS, WITH WHAT APPEARED TO BE FIBERGLASS/EPOXY RESIN SHAVINGS AND DUST.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.