| Date: | Saturday 29 September 1990 |
| Time: | 12:29 |
| Type: |  Lockheed PV-2D Harpoon |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N7250C |
| MSN: | 15-1605 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1960 |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney R-2800-31 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lakeport, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Santa Rosa-Sonoma County Airport, CA (STS/KSTS) |
| Santa Rosa-Sonoma County Airport, CA (STS/KSTS) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The airplane operated on a private flight out of Santa Rosa-Sonoma County Airport, California, USA. It was observed making several low passes, with its smoke generators operating, over seaplanes anchored in a lake. The last pass was reportedly at an altitude less than 50 ft, and then the airplane was observed entering an abnormally steep climb, followed by a near vertical nose-down attitude to impact. A video tape shows that both propellers were turning. The pilot had received his multi-engine rating in a Beechcraft 76 on March 6, 1990, and his type rating in the airplane March 28, 1990.
CAUSE: The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain airspeed during a pull-up from a low pass. Factors which contributed to the accident were: the pilot's poor judgement in buzzing the seaplanes which resulted in insufficient altitude to recover from the stall, and the pilot's inexperience in the airplane.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation