Amateur-built CH-801 accident near Nicholas, California, February 28, 2003
On February 28, 2003 at about 7:30 pm local time, a amateur-built CH-801, registered N235RJ, was destroyed in an accident near Nicholas, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight structural failure due to the pilot exceeding the design limitations of the airplane. Drug impairment was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 28, 2003 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Nicholas, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CH-801
- Registration
- N235RJ · no longer on the register · serial 8-4114
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane broke apart in flight, and the debris path was 2 miles long. The top surface of the right wing was the first item in the debris path. The next pieces were the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. They were approximately 400 feet away from the right wing, and 50 feet apart from each other. The remainder of the right wing was 800 feet past the stabilizers. The left wing was an additional 300 feet away. The fuselage was near the end of the debris trail. Rivet holes at separation points were elongated and/or deformed. Fracture surfaces were angular and irregularly shaped. The toxicology reports indicated the finding of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the active substance in marijuana) and tetrahydrocannabinol carboxylic acid (THC-COOH), an inactive metabolite of marijuana) in the blood of both occupants. The levels of the substances are consistent with the smoking of at least one marijuana cigarette within about 12 hours of death in the case of the pilot, and 2 hours for the passenger. A few studies have shown impairment during the performance of demanding aircraft simulator tasks even 24 hours after smoking marijuana, and it is likely that the pilot was at least somewhat impaired at the time of the accident.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 8, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lom M337B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Q94 Rio Linda CA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from SMF, 13 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.