Fournier Aviation RF4D accident near Rialto, California, March 27, 1982
On March 27, 1982 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Fournier Aviation RF4D (glider), an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N7719, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rialto, California. 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1982 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Rialto, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fournier Aviation RF4D, amateur-built
- Registration
- N7719 · no longer on the register · serial 4049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED, HE WAS SOARING HIS "MOTOR-GLIDER" IN UPDRAFTS OF "THERMAL, SLOPE-WIND, AND WAVE" ORIGIN. HE REPORTED THAT THERMALS AND A WEAK SOUTHWEST WIND WERE PRODUCING LIFT ALONG RIDGES WITH WALLS THAT WERE FACING WEST, SOUTHWEST, AND SOUTH. REPORTEDLY, HE WAS FLYING IN THESE AREAS, IN AND OUT OF CANYONS, WITH THE ENGINE OPERATING AT A FAST IDLE TO REDUCE DRAG. WHILE FLYING WESTWARD, HE ENCOUNTERED AN AREA OF LIFT WHERE HE MANEUVERED AND CLIMBED FROM 2900 TO 3100 FT. FROM THERE, HE STARTED TO FOLLOW A WEST FACING WALL OF A NORTH CONNECTING RIDGE WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED A SUDDEN, VERY STRONG, DOWNDRAFT. HE APPLIED FULL THROTTLE AND TURNED LEFT TO FOLLOW A CANYON THAT DROPPED AWAY TO THE WEST, BUT THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A ROCKY OUTCROPPING AT AN ELEVATION OF APPROXIMATELY 3000 FT MSL.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,550 hours in all; 636 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 3,443 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,744 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 74 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rectimo 4AR (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Rialto CA at 12:30 pm
- Destination: Rialto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.