Rockwell OV-10A N94LM

Summary

On 10 June 1997 at about 16:38 local time, a Rockwell OV-10A registered N94LM, operated by Bureau of Land Management, was involved in an accident near Hollister, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 June 1997 at 16:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Hollister, California, United States

Coordinates

36.8902, -121.2409

Aircraft

Rockwell OV-10A

Registration

N94LM

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Bureau of Land Management

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bakersfield → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97GA205

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to maintain adequate ground clearance altitude while performing a low-level aerobatic maneuver. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Prior to joining the Bureau of Land Management as an OV-10 pilot, the pilot flew helicopters for the U.S. Forest Service and was based at the fire station where the accident occurred. Witnesses at the station reported seeing the aircraft fly by their location at approximately 200 feet agl and enter a right roll to a near inverted attitude. It then was observed to reverse the direction of roll in what appeared to be an attempt by the pilot to level the wings. The aircraft was then observed to impact the ground in a 90-degree right bank with approximately a 30-degree nose down pitch attitude. The witnesses further stated that both engines sounded normal as the aircraft passed their location. Heavy rotational damage was noted to both engines and propellers.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.