Amateur-built RANS S-14 accident near Hemet, California, March 26, 1998
On March 26, 1998 at about 6:00 am local time, a amateur-built RANS S-14, registered N22LD, was destroyed in an accident near Hemet, California (Hemet-Ryan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's loss of aircraft control during landing, and his physical impairment from a blood alcohol level of 0.07 percent 2 hours following the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 1998 · about 6:00 am local time
- Place
- Hemet, California · Hemet-Ryan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RANS S-14
- Registration
- N22LD · no longer on the register · serial 1296094
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost control of his aircraft during landing and crashed into a mud bog. A sheriff's deputy heard the engine stop and drove to the crash site. He asked the pilot, the only person at the aircraft, if he was hurt. The pilot replied that he wasn't hurt in the landing and that he'd recover his aircraft in the morning. A few minutes later the deputy was contacted by a police officer that had arrested a man for driving while under the influence (DUI). The man had said that his aircraft had been stolen and then had crashed at the airport. The officer brought the man to the hangar and the deputy identified him as the man he had spoken with earlier. The man, now identified by name, also acknowledged that he was the same person the deputy had spoken with at the crash site. He later reported to the FAA that he had gone to eat and had left his hangar open and when he returned, he found his aircraft missing. He ran around the airport looking for it until he saw the aircraft's tail sticking out of a bog. He ran toward it but tripped and fell several times. He decided to tow it to his hangar that night so he drove into town to buy a rope. While en route, he was arrested for DUI. He was held for several hours, then taken to the hospital for a blood test and treatment of his injuries. His blood alcohol was found to be .07% (W/V).
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: 450 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 775 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HMT at 6:00 am
- Destination: HMT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 4,314 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 am from RIV, 15 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N22LD the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.