Petrus David Wayne S90 accident near Fresno, CA
On December 26, 2016, a Petrus David Wayne S90 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Fresno, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 26, 2016
- Place
- Fresno, CA
- Aircraft
- Petrus David Wayne S90 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.844°N, 119.871°W
- NTSB ID
- 20161226X80840
Official records · WPR17FA041
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Record of Communication (Previous Owner): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- Record of Communications (Previous Owner): Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn December 26, 2016, about 1318 Pacific standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Express S-90, N176PA, was destroyed when it departed controlled flight and impacted terrain shortly after takeoff from runway 30 at Sierra Sky Park Airport (E79), Fresno, California. The private pilot/owner and his passenger received fatal injuries. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot had a residence on E79, a residential airpark, and based his airplane there. According to the pilot's wife, the passenger was a family friend, and the flight was to be a local pleasure flight. Several persons, some of whom were pilots, witnessed various portions of the accident flight, and the reports were generally consistent with one another. The witnesses were at multiple various locations around E79 and its surrounds. All stated that the airplane was climbing after takeoff when it made a "sudden" and/or "rapid" right turn. Two non-pilot witnesses, who were about 1,200 ft northwest of the departure end of the runway, reported that the airplane was "low" when they first observed it and that it then suddenly turned right. Several other witnesses, some of whom were pilots, reported that the airplane was in an abnormally steep climb after liftoff and then began a right turn that was followed shortly thereafter by a rapid descent and impact to the lake situated north of and below the airport elevation. Accounts of the airplane's specific motions after
Probable cause
The pilot's abnormally steep takeoff climb followed by a loss of control and rapid descent to ground impact, for undetermined reasons.
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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.
