Amateur-built Hurricane accident near Redcrest, California, May 4, 2017
On May 4, 2017 at about 4:45 pm local time, a amateur-built Hurricane, registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Redcrest, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noncertificated pilot's impairment from methamphetamine and alcohol use, which precluded the pilot from maintaining control of the airplane after a loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on available information.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2017 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Redcrest, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Hurricane
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noncertificated pilot was returning from a 20-minute flight in an unregistered amateur-built airplane when a witness heard the engine sputtering. The witness reported that the engine quit shortly thereafter and that the airplane subsequently nosed down and collided with the river shoreline. Law enforcement personnel reported that the airplane wreckage had been moved before their arrival at the accident site. The pilot's body was not within the wreckage when they arrived, and an extensive search was initiated. The body was located several days later downstream of the accident site. The accident was not reported to the National Transportation Safety Board until several weeks after the wreckage had been recovered to the pilot's residence. Postaccident examination of the wreckage revealed that airframe and engine components had been removed and disassembled postaccident and prior to an inspection. Consequently, the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined. A family member reported that the pilot had accumulated about 2 hours of total flight experience in the accident airplane make and model. The investigation did not identify any other flight time information, therefore the pilot's ability to respond to an emergency, such as a loss of engine power, could not be determined. Toxicology testing on the pilot's specimens was positive for methamphetamine and ethanol. The effects of methamphetamine "high" and "crash" are impairing; thus, pilots are not permitted to operate aircraft while using methamphetamine. Although ethanol can be produced postmortem, the ethanol detected in the pilot's specimens had likely been ingested given the statement from the pilot's wife that he was under the influence on the day of the accident. Therefore, the pilot was likely impaired by the effects of methamphetamine and alcohol, which contributed to the pilot's ability to maintain airplane control following the loss of engine power.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach defining event
- Loss of control in flight during approach
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Illicit drug › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Alcohol › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Flight time: 2 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 2 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 503 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Redcrest CA at 4:25 pm
- Destination: Redcrest CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from KFOT, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on October 24, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Medical Factual | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Humboldt Sheriff Report | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Aircraft Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under UNREG 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.