Amateur-built TANGENT 65 accident near Lucerne Valley, California, April 6, 1996
On April 6, 1996 at about 4:14 pm local time, a amateur-built TANGENT 65, registered N4309M, was destroyed in an accident near Lucerne Valley, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain altitude. Factors in the accident were: the pilot's decision to buzz the area and his ostentatious display.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 6, 1996 · about 4:14 pm local time
- Place
- Lucerne Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TANGENT 65
- Registration
- N4309M · registry record · serial RT002
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The two airplanes had executed a touch-and-go on a dry lake. The first airplane reentered the upwind leg, and the accident airplane executed a low level left steep turn around the windsock. Ground witnesses observed the accident airplane's altitude decrease as its bank angle steepened. The airplane's left wing struck the ground and the airplane cartwheeled, coming to rest inverted about 30 feet from the initial impact point.
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: 625 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-65 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APV Apple Valley CA
- Destination: L22 Yucca Valley CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 19°F (-7°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.