Ryan NAVION A accident near Fiddletown, California, March 12, 1983
On March 12, 1983 at about 4:15 am local time, a Ryan NAVION A, registered N444N, was destroyed in an accident near Fiddletown, 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
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 12, 1983 · about 4:15 am local time
- Place
- Fiddletown, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Ryan NAVION A · all NAVION As on the register
- Registration
- N444N · no longer on the register · serial NAV-4-1295
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO HILLY TERRAIN WHILE DESCENDING TO ENTER THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT THE RANCHO MURIETA AIRPORT. THE PILOT HAD CALLED SACRAMENTO FSS TO GET ASSISTANCE IN LOCATING THIS ARPT WHICH IS ABOUT 11 NM FROM SACRAMENTO VOR ON A BEARING OF ABOUT 65 DEGREES MAGNETIC. WITNESSES SAW THE ACFT AT BELOW 1000 FT AGL DESCENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF FIDDLETOWN SHORTLY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE WEATHER WAS VMC AND VISIBILITY WAS GOOD BUT IT WAS AFTER DARK. A WITNESS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE HEARD THE ACFT GO OVER HIM AT LOW ALT. HE SAW THE ACFT LIGHTS AS IT DESCENDED INTO THE HILLS THERE WERE FLAMES VISIBLE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE IMPACT. HE STATED THAT THE ENGINE SOUNDS WERE NORMAL AND SEEMED TO BE AT A HIGH RPM SETTING. HE ESTIMATED THAT THE ACFT DESCENDED ABOUT 200 FT IN 1/2 MILE.
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: 1,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 3,233 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 2Q3 Winters CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:49 am from SAC, 17 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.