Ryan NAVION A N444N

Summary

On 12 March 1983 at about 04:15 local time, a Ryan NAVION A registered N444N was involved in an accident near Fiddletown, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

12 March 1983 at 04:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Fiddletown, California, United States

Coordinates

38.5210, -120.6996

Aircraft

Ryan NAVION A

Registration

N444N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Winters → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX83FA141

2 people 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

THE ACFT CRASHED INTO HILLY TERRAIN WHILE DESCENDING TO ENTER THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT THE RANCHO MURIETA AIRPORT. THE PILOT HAD CALLED SACRAMENTO FSS TO GET ASSISTANCE IN LOCATING THIS ARPT WHICH IS ABOUT 11 NM FROM SACRAMENTO VOR ON A BEARING OF ABOUT 65 DEGREES MAGNETIC. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT AT BELOW 1000 FT AGL DESCENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF FIDDLETOWN SHORTLY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE WEATHER WAS VMC AND VISIBILITY WAS GOOD BUT IT WAS AFTER DARK. A WITNESS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE HEARD THE ACFT GO OVER HIM AT LOW ALT. HE SAW THE ACFT LIGHTS AS IT DESCENDED INTO THE HILLS THERE WERE FLAMES VISIBLE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE IMPACT. HE STATED THAT THE ENGINE SOUNDS WERE NORMAL AND SEEMED TO BE AT A HIGH RPM SETTING. HE ESTIMATED THAT THE ACFT DESCENDED ABOUT 200 FT IN 1/2 MILE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.