Iniziative Industriali Italian Sky Arrow 650 TC accident near Placerville, California, December 8, 2003
On December 8, 2003 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Iniziative Industriali Italian Sky Arrow 650 TC, registered N14XL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Placerville, California (Placerville 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
the pilot's failure to fully remove an accumulation of ice and frost on the wings, which led to an inadvertent stall/mush and collision with the ground. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to correctly configure the flaps for takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 2003 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Placerville, California · Placerville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Iniziative Industriali Italian Sky Arrow 650 TC
- Registration
- N14XL · no longer on the register · serial C003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane entered a stall/mush condition during the takeoff initial climb, descended back to ground impact, veered off the runway, and collided with trees and terrain. A witness saw the airplane taxi to the runway about 0650. The nearest weather reporting station was 20 miles northwest, and at 0630, recorded a temperature of 03 C, the dew point 0 C, with clear sky conditions. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector lives 8 miles from the airport and reported that there was frost on his outdoor furniture that morning. Another pilot stopped by the airport around 0510, and noted that the top of the wings of his airplane and others had frost and ice on them. The first responder to the accident reported that large water droplets covered the tops of the wing. The wreckage was located approximately 1,450 feet down the runway and 140 feet to the south on downhill sloping terrain. Approximately 1,250 feet down the runway, a 21-foot-long ground scar resembling tire tracks was located on a grass shoulder area on the south side off the runway. The track was angled away from the runway and ran in a direction pointing towards the airplane wreckage. The tracks originated about the middle of a grass shoulder area that parallels the runway. Between and forward of two narrow parallel tracks was an elongated and much wider area of disturbed earth that approximated the dimensions of the aircraft's nose. Examination of the wreckage found no evidence of a preimpact malfunction or failure of the control system or power plant. Following recovery of the wreckage, the engine was test run successfully while still installed in the airframe. Using the airplane flight manual the takeoff ground roll under the accident ambient conditions was calculated as 912 feet and the distance to clear a 50-foot obstacle was 1,556 feet. The normal takeoff flap configuration, as described in the Flight Manual, is the 10-degree setting. The flaps were found in the retracted position with the cockpit control in a matching setting.
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: 652 hours in all; 172 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 537 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 27, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,073 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2003; 121.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,433 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KPVF Placerville CA at 2:55 pm
- Destination: KPAO Palo Alto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 080° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:30 pm from KAUN, 20 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.