Wilson RV-7 accident near Nevada City, CA
On February 18, 2008, a Wilson RV-7 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Nevada City, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 18, 2008
- Place
- Nevada City, CA
- Aircraft
- Wilson RV-7 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.279°N, 120.983°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080221X00223
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 17, 2008, at 1638 Pacific standard time, an experimental Wilson Vans RV-7, N331KM, experienced a loss of engine power and collided with trees approximately 1.7 miles northwest of Nevada City, California. The private pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot was killed, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The personal flight originated at Nevada County Air Park, Grass Valley, California, approximately 1610. At 1637, the pilot of N6375Q was in communications with the accident pilot and made a mayday distress call on guard (121.5 MHz) for the pilot. The pilot of the accident airplane had made a distress call on the Nevada County Air Park common traffic advisory frequency (ctaf) stating that the engine had quit and he could not get it restarted. Another pilot who was airborne at 5,500 feet msl (mean sea level) at the time of the accident said that he had radio communications with the pilot of the accident airplane. The accident pilot stated that he could not get the engine to restart, that he had tried everything, and he was going down. The pilot then observed the accident airplane in a controlled descent into an area populated by large trees. The elevation of Nevada County Air Park, Grass Valley, California, is 3,152-feet msl. The airplane wreckage was located in a wooded area. It rested inverted against the ground, with wing leading edge damage, and broken pine tree branches in the vicinity. One
Probable cause
The improper installation of the fuel pump, leading to a fatigue failure of the pump's lever arm and subsequent loss of engine power. Contributing to the accident was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
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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.
