Gough-Herrman CHRISTEN EAGLE II accident near Lake Berryessa, CA
On March 14, 1998, a Gough-Herrman CHRISTEN EAGLE II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Lake Berryessa, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 14, 1998
- Place
- Lake Berryessa, CA
- Aircraft
- Gough-Herrman CHRISTEN EAGLE II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 38.249°N, 122.310°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09698
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 14, 1998, about 1343 hours Pacific standard time, a Gough-Herrman Christen Eagle II, N331GH, was destroyed after colliding with water at Lake Berryessa, California. Both the pilot owner and the pilot rated passenger received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Vacaville, California, on the day of the accident. A witness reported seeing the aircraft flying about 1,000 feet or less over the lake, roll inverted for about 5 or 6 seconds and then pitch downward, rotate 90 degrees, and impact the water in a near vertical attitude. Other witnesses observed the aircraft during it's vertical descent. PERSONNEL INFORMATION First Pilot: The 20,200-hour airline pilot was the owner/operator and one of the builders of the aircraft. He was in the rear cockpit of the dual control aircraft. Second Pilot: The 14,300-hour airline pilot/passenger was located in the front cockpit. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The experimental homebuilt aircraft was certificated in 1980. The builders were listed as Gough/Herrman, and the current owner/operator as Herrman. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had accumulated about 922.3 total flight hours. According to the designer/kit manufacturer's representative, the aircraft gross weight in normal operation, pilot plus passenger, is 1,600 pounds. In aerobatic operation, pilot plus passenger is 1,520 pounds. The estimated weight of the aircraft at the time of the accident was 1,516 pounds. The allowable center of gravity (CG) range at
Probable cause
was the pilot-in-command's failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Contributing to the accident was the improper altitude.
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
