Amateur-built RV-4 accident near Jacumba, California, March 15, 2002
On March 15, 2002 at about 9:40 pm local time, a amateur-built RV-4, registered N491T, was destroyed in an accident near Jacumba, California (Jacumba Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
in-flight loss of control for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2002 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Jacumba, California · Jacumba Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-4
- Registration
- N491T · no longer on the register · serial 891
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The experimental airplane collided with terrain during an attempted landing. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane at a low altitude, flying slowly toward the airport. The airplane made a sharp right turn, and, about 20 feet above ground level, the right wing dropped. The airplane continued in the turn until the right wing contacted ground. The airplane cartwheeled along the terrain, and became engulfed in flames shortly after coming to rest. Examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed no apparent mechanical anomalies.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,690 hours in all; 790 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 791 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 791 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,675 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SEE El Cajon CA at 9:20 pm
- Destination: L78 Jacumba CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,508 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 18 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from CZZ, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.