Willman Loren LOREN'S AIRCAM accident near Grass Valley, CA
On February 19, 2023, a Willman Loren LOREN'S AIRCAM (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grass Valley, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- February 19, 2023
- Place
- Grass Valley, CA
- Aircraft
- Willman Loren LOREN'S AIRCAM · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.094°N, 120.998°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230219106746
Official records · WPR23FA110
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 19, 2023, about 1335 Pacific standard time, an experimental, amateur-built amphibious Lockwood Air-Cam, N420PF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Grass Valley, California. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulation Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot’s brother-in-law, before the accident, the pilot took him on a local flight and stayed within five miles of the Nevada County Airport (GOO), Grass Valley, California. He estimated that the lowest altitude that they flew at was about 800 ft agl. ADS-B data showed this flight originated about 1219 and terminated about 1237. Most of the flight was calculated to have been about 250 to 500 ft agl. A Google Earth image with ADS-B data showing the flight with the brother-in-law is shown in Figure 1. The ADS-B track showed multiple areas of lost coverage. Figure 1. Google Earth image showing the ADS-B track of the flight with the pilot’s brother-in-law as a passenger. According to the brother-in-law, after the flight ended, the pilot taxied to his personal hangar that was located on his property, adjacent to the airport. The brother-in-law exited the airplane. A female friend of the family then got into the airplane, and the pilot and female passenger taxied away. A witness, who was located at the GOO fuel island, reported that the pilot, with a female passenger, taxied to the fuel island. The witness reported that the pilot topped the airplane off with 100 low lead aviation fuel. During a conv
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and his exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at an altitude too low for recovery.
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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.
