Aviation Crash Map

Albrecht POLYWAGON N320PW

26 November 1993 · Vacaville, California, United States · Serious injuries

Summary

On 26 November 1993 at about 18:00 local time, a Albrecht POLYWAGON registered N320PW, operated by Robert T. Albrecht, was involved in an accident near Vacaville, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 18:00
Classification
Accident
Location
Vacaville, California, United States
Nearest airport
Vacaville Nut Tree (O45)
Coordinates
38.4099, -122.0104
Aircraft
Albrecht POLYWAGON
Registration
N320PW
Category
Airplane
Engines
1
Operator
Robert T. Albrecht
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Unknown
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
LAX94LA060

People

1 person was seriously injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 1 0 0

Probable cause

the pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft during a go-around. Factors in the accident were the wind shear conditions and the pilot's failure to adequately balance the fuel load during the flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

An FAA inspector who witnessed the accident said the aircraft was on a go-around near the runway's midpoint when the left wing suddenly dropped. The aircraft turned left, collided with trees bordering the airport, and cartwheeled into a field. He reported that the winds were from the northwest at 12 knots with gusts to 20 knots. He stated that trees line the runway which can create wind shear conditions in cross wind situations. The pilot said that he flared high and bounced on the runway during the landing approach, and initiated a go-around. During the go-around, the pilot said he could not control the aircraft and the left wing dropped. The aircraft then turned and collided with trees. The pilot said that a fuel imbalance may have contributed to the loss of lateral control. FAA inspectors said that about 18 months ago the pilot crashed the aircraft during its first test flight. The pilot rebuilt the aircraft and this was the first flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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