Interavia E-3 N4426X

Summary

On 25 November 2006 at about 21:18 local time, a Interavia E-3 registered N4426X, operated by David Hermance, was involved in an accident near San Pedro, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 November 2006 at 21:18

Classification

Accident

Location

San Pedro, California, United States

Coordinates

33.7000, -118.3167

Aircraft

Interavia E-3

Registration

N4426X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

David Hermance

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07LA047

1 person died.

Loss of control for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was flying an experimental aerobatic airplane on a local aerobatic flight. Following an aerobatic sequence, the airplane pitched down abruptly and entered a 70-degree nose down attitude until impact with the ocean. A witness flying in the area heard the pilot declare a "mayday" but the pilot did not indicate the nature of the emergency. An additional witness saw something depart the airplane when it was approximately 500 feet above the water during the descent. The pilot's restraint system was found unlatched, and the pilot was found outside of the airplane with his parachute deployed. The canopy was not recovered. The pilot had apparently initiated an emergency egress from the aircraft, suggesting that he was not incapacitated at the time of the accident. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies was discovered during a thorough examination of the recovered wreckage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.