Fatal Icon A-5 Crash N. California

[Check 6]

An Icon A-5 has crashed at Lake Berryessa, California, with two fatalities. RIP.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/cri...149315024.html

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/69...lake-berryessa

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/l...fe980a913.html

[Frank Giger]

Condolences to their families.

[FearTheH]

Such a tragedy. Hopefully they can accurately determine the cause(s)...such a cool plane too. Our thoughts and prayers will be with the families.

[Floatsflyer]

Both occupants were Icon employees. The pilot was lead aero engineer and chief test pilot. The passenger was reported to be an engineer who had just left Ford to join Icon a week ago. That is truly sad and tragic.

I don't want to come off as morose but this must be said, Icon now has more accidents than deliveries.

[Floatsflyer]

NTSB has released a preliminary accident report indicating the cause as controlled flight into terrain. This is based on an eyewitness account of the plane in flight just prior to the witness losing visual sight of the actual crash and the fact that the wreckage was upright with all major structural components located at the crash site.

Pure speculation on my part but on the basis of the eye witness account it sounds like a very low altitude steep turn stall which was recovered from but not before the pilot ran out of air and water. Pics show the plane struck the shoreline hard.

[Bill Berson]

I don't see any mention of CFIT in the NTSB report https://ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviat...08X45426&key=1
Controlled flight into terrain was a speculation from Flying magazine.
Can an unintentional stall or spin be CFIT?

[Floatsflyer]

Flying mag, to me at least, didn't sound like speculation in any way. It sounded like quoting from the report. However, from the actual report you provided, I can see how you arrived at that conclusion.

[rwanttaja]

NTSB Final Report is out:

https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/R....Final&IType=FA

[Update: Better link]
http://www.wanttaja.com/icon.pdf

"The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

"The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's mistaken entry into a canyon surrounded by steep rising terrain while at a low altitude for reasons that could not be determined."

Ron Wanttaja

[martymayes]

ok, that was quick. Wonder if there was any external pressure to get this investigation wrapped up? Pilot error, no fault with the plane, order book is open.

[martymayes]

Ron, I get an error msg when I click on your linky