Amateur-built 164 accident near Lake Riverside, California, April 25, 1987
On April 25, 1987 at about 9:00 pm local time, a amateur-built 164, registered N189L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Riverside, 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
- April 25, 1987 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Riverside, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 164
- Registration
- N189L · no longer on the register · serial 164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST AFTER TAKE OFF OF A HOMEBUILT, EXPERIMENTAL ACFT, A WITNESS OBSERVED THE ACFT AT APRX 150 FT AGL INITIATE A 15 DEG TURN TO THE RIGHT. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER THE ACFT PITCHED DOWN SLIGHTLY AND BEGAN TO LOSE ALTITUDE, THEN ABRUPTLY ENTERED A SPIN AND COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE FUEL VALVE WAS IN THE OFF POSITION. THE PLT ALSO MADE A STATEMENT THAT THE ACFT HAD HAD CHOKE PROBLEMS IN THE PAST THAT CAUSED THE ENG TO QUIT IN FLT, BUT WAS RESTARTED BEFORE AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS MADE. THE PLT FOUND THAT THE CHOKE WAS STICKING. AFTER THE PLT REROUTED IT HE SAID THAT 'IT SEEMED TO WORK BETTER, BUT IT NEVER DID WORK CORRECTLY.'
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; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 201 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 181 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 1986; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 550 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Kfm 107E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Aguanga CA at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- 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.