Amateur-built Avid Magnum accident near Bridgeport, California, September 17, 2004
On September 17, 2004 at about 8:41 pm local time, a amateur-built Avid Magnum, registered N970JH, was destroyed in an accident near Bridgeport, California (Bryant Field Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to adequately compensate for the crosswind condition and his failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while using crossed controls, which led to a stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2004 · about 8:41 pm local time
- Place
- Bridgeport, California · Bryant Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Avid Magnum
- Registration
- N970JH · no longer on the register · serial 77M
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff in a 90-degree, 10-knot crosswind the pilot lost control of the airplane and it impacted terrain. The pilot said that during preflight preparations for the accident flight, he noted a crosswind from the left that he estimated to be greater than 10 nautical miles per hour, and at 90 degrees to the departure runway 34. Concerned about the crosswind, the pilot decided not to take passengers on the flight, as he had previously planned. The pilot stated that he was familiar with operating the airplane in similar crosswind conditions, and did not encounter difficulty taxing the airplane to the departure runway. After beginning the takeoff roll and becoming airborne, the airplane was upset and the pilot experienced a loss of control. A witness reported that the airplane took off with an estimated 90-degree crosswind to the runway. The windsock was about 90 percent full. During takeoff, the airplane drifted to the left, and climbed to about 100 feet. The airplane then rolled to the right and impacted terrain nose down, 30 to 40 feet east of the runway. The witness said the rudder was deflected fully to the right, and the right aileron was fully deflected down just before the airplane rolled off to the right and hit the ground. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,123 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,123 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 420.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 2004; 28.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KO57 Bridgeport CA at 1:41 pm
- Destination: O17 Grass Valley CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 4,329 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KMOD, 70 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.