Amateur-built MUSTANG II accident near Byron, California, April 17, 1994
On April 17, 1994, a amateur-built MUSTANG II, registered N363RD, was destroyed in an accident near Byron, 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
an abrupt maneuver by the pilot that initiated an in-flight separation of the tail and wing sections during acrobatic flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 1994
- Place
- Byron, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MUSTANG II
- Registration
- N363RD · no longer on the register · serial 363
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLYING ABOUT 1000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND WHEN THEY HEARD THE ENGINE ACCELERATE FOLLOWED BY AN ABRUPT VERTICAL CLIMB. THE WINGS THEN SEPARATED AND THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO THE GROUND. ALL THE MAJOR AIRCRAFT COMPONENTS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR EXCEPT THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE TAIL SECTION INDICATED OVERLOAD-TYPE SEPARATIONS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 980 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 5, 1993; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LVK Livermore CA at 11:30 pm
- Destination: LVK CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 pm from SCK, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.