Hernandez THORP T-18 N1394A

Summary

On 23 April 1988 at about 22:00 local time, a Hernandez THORP T-18 registered N1394A was involved in an accident near Palos Verdes, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

23 April 1988 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Palos Verdes, California, United States

Coordinates

33.7702, -118.3399

Aircraft

Hernandez THORP T-18

Registration

N1394A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Compton → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX88DUA01

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT WAS DEMONSTRATING THE ACFT FOR THE PASSENGER FOR A POSSIBLE SALE. THEY WERE PART OF A FLIGHT OF TWO OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN. THE OWNER OF THE AIRCRAFT BEING DEMONSTRATED WAS IN THE SECOND AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT OF THE DEMO ACFT RADIOED TO THE SECOND ACFT THAT HE WAS GOING TO LET THE PASSENGER FLY, WHO WAS A COMM PILOT. THE ACFT INITIALLY BEGAN MAKING TIGHT TURNS BUT THEN TURNED AWAY FROM EACH OTHER. THE PLT OF THE SECOND ACFT DID NOT SEE THE DEMO ACFT AGAIN. A GROUND WITNESS REPORTED SEEING AN ACFT DIVING STRAIGHT TOWARDS THE WATER WITH NO ROTATION. A SEARCH BY THE SECOND ACFT REVEALED NOTHING. ACFT DEBRIS BELONGING TO THE DEMO ACFT WAS LATER FOUND ON THE BEACH AND EXHIBITED EXTREME ACCORDIAN SIGNATURES.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.