Amateur-built CHRISTEN EAGLE II accident near Lake Berryessa, California, March 14, 1998
On March 14, 1998 at about 9:43 pm local time, a amateur-built CHRISTEN EAGLE II, registered N331GH, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Berryessa, 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
was the pilot-in-command's failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Contributing to the accident was the improper altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 1998 · about 9:43 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Berryessa, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CHRISTEN EAGLE II CHRISTEN E
- Registration
- N331GH · no longer on the register · serial GOUGH 0001
- 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 over the lake about 1,000 feet or less. They reported that the aircraft rolled inverted, flew for about 5 or 6 seconds, pitched downward, rotated 90 degrees, and impacted the water in a near vertical attitude. According to the designer/kit manufacturer, and based on the estimated weight and balance information, the aircraft was forward of the aerobatic weight envelope.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 922 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 1997; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 045 Vacaville CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 9 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:59 pm from APC, 20 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.