Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Wheaton Springs, California 92364
Sunday, April 30, 1995 10:25 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE AIRCRAFT OVER A DRY LAKE BED AT 20 FEET AGL. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DESCENDED ABRUPTLY AND IMPACTED IN NOSE-LOW ATTITUDE. AFTER IMPACT, THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER AND SKIDDED ABOUT 150 FEET BEFORE COMING TO REST IN AN INVERTED POSITION. A POSTCRASH INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR HAD BEEN SPREAD TO THE POINT OF FAILURE. THE PILOT TOLD ASSOCIATES THAT HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY IN JUDGING HIS HEIGHT ABOVE TOUCHDOWN. THE AREA OF THE ACCIDENT SITE IS FLAT WITHOUT TREES, FOLIAGE, OR GROUND OBJECTS. THE PILOT HAD ONLY RECENTLY RESUMED FLYING AFTER 17 YEARS OF INACTIVITY. FAA INSPECTORS REPORTED THAT THE PILOT'S FIRST FLIGHT SINCE 1978 WAS ON APRIL 3, 1995. BETWEEN APRIL 3 AND 7, HE RECEIVED INSTRUCTION AND A BIENNIAL FLIGHT REVIEW IN A CESSNA 205 EQUIPPED WITH TRICYCLE LANDING GEAR. DURING THAT PERIOD HE LOGGED A TOTAL OF 8.9 HOURS. HIS ESTIMATED TOTAL TIME IN THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT WAS 10 HOURS.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the pilot's misjudged altitude and landing flare timing which resulted in a hard landing and nose over.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/30/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1025 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | WHEATON SPRINGS |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 92364 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 2640 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1053 Pacific Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 220 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DAG |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1927 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 104 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 18000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Scattered |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 50 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 26 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 250 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 18 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 25 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 1 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 684 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 30 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1136 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:12PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N55851 |
| NTSB Number | LAX95LA176 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | KNAPP |
| Aircraft Model | PACKARD SPECIAL |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PACKARD SP |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 7017B-431 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2150 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jan 17 1995 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 10 |
| Airframe Hours | 10 |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | HERSCHEL JOHN KNAPP |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 1801 E. BONANZA |
| Aircraft Owner City | LAS VEGAS |
| Aircraft Owner State | NV |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 89101 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 0L7 |
| Departure City | JEAN |
| Departure State | NV |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1000 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |