Upton Bakeng Duce accident near Ramona, CA
On May 9, 2009, an Upton Bakeng Duce (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ramona, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 9, 2009
- Place
- Ramona, CA
- Aircraft
- Upton Bakeng Duce · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 32.989°N, 116.782°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090509X02427
Official records · WPR09FA234
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- ATC 3 - SCT Radar Study: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC Transcript, by SERCO: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 9, 2009, about 1435, an Upton Bakeng Duce, N86YP, experienced an in-flight breakup while maneuvering, followed by an uncontrolled descent into an open field, about 6.4 miles east-southeast of Ramona, California. The private pilot, who borrowed the airplane from its owner, occupied the rear seat of the experimental, single engine, airplane. The pilot, who occupied the front seat, held a commercial pilot certificate. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the structure, which was extensively fragmented. There was no fire. Both pilots were killed during the personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and it originated from the Ramona airport about 1424. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board personnel interviewed a total of nine persons who reported observing and/or hearing the accident. One of these witnesses reported to the Safety Board investigator that, from her vantage point on elevated terrain in a hilly area, she had observed two airplanes flying in close proximity to each other for at least several minutes prior to their colliding. According to this witness, one of the airplanes was flying slower than the other airplane. The faster moving airplane was predominantly white in color, and the slower moving airplane was predominantly colored red. (The accident airplane’s fuselage was red; its wings were white.) The witness further reported to the Safety Board invest
Probable cause
An in-flight separation of the right wing, which resulted from the pilot's performance of a maneuver that produced aerodynamic loads that exceeded the wing spar’s degraded strength. The wing spar strength degradation was due to the builder's failure to comply with Federal Aviation Administration recommended guidelines to select and incorporate wood in the spar with a grain pattern aligned with the
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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.
