Maniscalco GREAT LAKES N7LM

Summary

On 28 June 2015 at about 19:04 local time, a Maniscalco GREAT LAKES registered N7LM was involved in an accident near Corona, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 June 2015 at 19:04

Classification

Accident

Location

Corona, California, United States

Coordinates

33.8222, -117.4633

Aircraft

Maniscalco GREAT LAKES

Registration

N7LM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Corona → Corona

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15FA200

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane's critical angle-of-attack while maneuvering, which resulted in a stall/spin at too low an altitude to allow recovery. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper fuel planning and his distraction by the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot was taking his second passenger of the day on a sightseeing flight. Based on onboard video, after making several shallow turns, the airplane entered a steep left turn, the nose fell, and the airplane stalled; the pilot initiated a recovery. The passenger later stated that the airplane shook violently from side to side and that the pilot apologized to her over the microphone and stated that it would not happen again. The onboard video indicated that, less than 1 minute later and without gaining altitude, the pilot initiated a moderate turn. During the turn, the engine noise decreased, the airplane began to shake, and the airplane departed controlled flight. The video showed the pilot attempt to initiate a recovery. However, because of the airplane's low altitude, the pilot was not able to regain control, and the airplane struck the ground. On-site examination determined that the fuel tank was not breached. There was no fuel odor, no signs of leakage such as stains on the wing or ground, and the tank contained no fuel. Postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicology results for the pilot revealed that the sedating antihistamine diphenhydramine was detected in his urine but not in his blood. Thus, it would not have had any ongoing systemic effects. The pilot had coronary artery disease; however, it was unlikely that he had any symptoms that would have impaired his ability to safely operate the airplane, particularly given his reaction to the loss of control and his attempted recovery. It is likely that the pilot became distracted by the loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, and stalled the airplane, which entered a spin too low to the ground to allow recovery.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.