Amateur-built Avid Magnum accident near Lake Shasta, California, May 13, 2001
On May 13, 2001 at about 2:40 am local time, a amateur-built Avid Magnum, registered N21911, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Shasta, California (Bridge Bay Resort airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of control on final approach due to encountering a strong wind gust and downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 2001 · about 2:40 am local time
- Place
- Lake Shasta, California · Bridge Bay Resort · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Avid Magnum
- Registration
- N21911 · no longer on the register · serial 37M
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At the conclusion of a 30-minute-long flight, the pilot encountered light to moderate turbulence on approach to the lake in his experimental seaplane. About 50 feet above the water, he experienced a strong downdraft and applied engine power to decrease his 1,000-foot-per-minute descent rate. Suddenly, the airplane pitched downward and impacted the water. Thirty-knot wind gusts were subsequently noted in the area.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,120 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 5,712 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 18, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 418 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 2, 2001; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Oroville CA at 1:50 am
- Destination: Q83 Lake Shasta CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from RDD, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.