Ronneberg/Murphy BERKUT accident near Santa Paula, CA
On August 12, 1995, a Ronneberg/Murphy BERKUT (airplane) was involved in an accident near Santa Paula, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 12, 1995
- Place
- Santa Paula, CA
- Aircraft
- Ronneberg/Murphy BERKUT · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.401°N, 119.071°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X04287
NTSB summary
On August 12, 1995, at 1510 Pacific daylight time, a homebuilt experimental Ronneberg/Murphy Berkut airplane, N91DR, collided with the ground following a loss of control during an air show demonstration routine at Santa Paula, California. The aircraft was operated by Experimental Aviation, Inc., of Santa Monica, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The aircraft was destroyed in the ground collision sequence. The certificated airline transport pilot sustained fatal injuries. The flight originated at the Santa Paula airport on the day of the accident at 1455. In an interview, the aircraft designer/builder stated that the wing plan form is a modified delta similar to the Vari-EZ/Long-EZ designs, which incorporates a forward canard for pitch control. The pilot sits in a high g-tolerant reclined position. During flight test, no main wing stall has been induced due to g-loads imposed on the aircraft. The ultimate design load factors are g-loadings of 14 positive and 7 negative. The witness said the demonstration routine, including the 8g minimum radius turn, performed at the time of the accident is the same one flown by the accident pilot since 1992. Many ground witnesses, including other air show pilots and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors, witnessed the accident sequence. All of the witnesses heard engine power sounds throughout the sequence-to-ground impact. In addition to the witnesses, a spectator videotaped the entire performance of the aircraft to include the accident sequence. Review of the videotape disclosed that the sequence as viewed
Probable cause
the pilot's inadvertent entry into an accelerated stall in a maximum performance high-g turn at an altitude insufficient to recover aircraft control prior to colliding with the ground.
More accidents in CA
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Browse: California
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
