Twibell TANGENT 65 accident near Lucerne Valley, CA
On April 6, 1996, a Twibell TANGENT 65 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lucerne Valley, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 6, 1996
- Place
- Lucerne Valley, CA
- Aircraft
- Twibell TANGENT 65 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.520°N, 116.879°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05602
NTSB summary
On April 6, 1996, at 0814 hours Pacific standard time, an amateur built Twibell Tangent 65, N4309M, collided with the terrain at Rabbit Springs Dry Lake, Lucerne Valley, California. The pilot was conducting a local visual flight rules personal flight. The airplane, owned and operated by the pilot, was destroyed. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated at Apple Valley Airport, Apple Valley, California, at an undetermined time. An FAA inspector from the Riverside [California] Flight Standards District Office conducted the on-scene investigation. The inspector reported that the pilot flew to the accident area behind his friend who was flying another airplane. Both airplanes executed a touch-and-go landing and takeoff on the dry lake. A ground witness told the inspector that the first airplane continued on the upwind leg and the accident pilot began to fly around the windsock about 80 feet above the ground. The airplane's bank angle began to steepen as the pilot continued the turn. As the bank angle steepened, the airplane began to lose altitude until the left wing struck the river bed. The airplane then cartwheeled and came to rest, inverted, about 30 feet from the initial point of impact. The FAA inspector said that the wreckage examination disclosed no evidence of any preimpact malfunctions or failures. The pilot of the other airplane told a San Bernardino Sheriff's Department deputy that he and the other pilot were flying to Yucca Valley, California, in their individual ai
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain altitude. Factors in the accident were: the pilot's decision to buzz the area and his ostentatious display.
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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.
