NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX02LA109
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
in-flight loss of control for undetermined reasons.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On March 15, 2002, about 1340 Pacific standard time, an amateur-built experimental Trenti RV-4, N491T, collided with terrain during an attempted landing at the Jacumba Airport, Jacumba, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. The local personal flight departed Gillespie Field Airport, El Cajon, California, at 1323, with a planned destination of Jacumba. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector interviewed two witnesses to the accident. One witness reported seeing the airplane at a low altitude, flying just above the surrounding utility poles. She noted that the engine sounded different, not what she was accustomed to hearing an airplane engine sounding like. The other witness saw the airplane flying toward the airport in a southeast direction. He observed the airplane moving slowly, at a low altitude, and began a sharp right turn. About 20 feet above ground level, the right wing dropped and the airplane continued in the right turn until the right wing contacted the ground. The airplane cartwheeled along the terrain, and shortly after coming to rest, became engulfed in flames. He noted that he did not hear any abnormal engine sounds. The FAA inspector also interviewed a deputy sheriff, who had seen the pilot landing the experimental airplane several times at Jacumba. He stated that the pilot normally made a high approach heading in an easterly direction, where he flies over his house and uses it as a landmark. The house is located northeast of the airport, about 1/4 to 1/3 mile from the runway.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
A review of FAA airman records revealed that the pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single engine land rating. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on May 08, 2001, with a limitation to wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. According to the last medical certificate application, the pilot reported having accumulated a total of 1,690 hours of flight time. The FAA inspector reported that the pilot had accumulated 790 hours in the make and model. The pilot's logbook was not recovered during the investigation
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
An aviation routine weather report (METAR) generated by an Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) in Campo, California (located 15 nautical miles west from the accident site), indicated that about the time of the accident winds were 220 degrees at 13 knots gusting to 18 knots.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The FAA inspector reported that the wreckage was about 150 feet north of runway 25. He noted that the right wing tank burned, but the left wing tank remained intact.
TESTS AND RESEARCH
The FAA inspector examined the wreckage at the accident site. He reported that the airplane had a Textron Lycoming O-320-E2A engine, serial number L-16988-27A, installed. Manual rotation of the crankshaft produced thumb compression of the cylinders, as well as valve train and accessory gear continuity of the engine. The spark plug electrodes and ignition leads were in good condition. The experimental airplane collided with terrain during an attempted landing. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane at a low altitude, flying slowly toward the airport. The airplane made a sharp right turn, and, about 20 feet above ground level, the right wing dropped. The airplane continued in the turn until the right wing contacted ground. The airplane cartwheeled along the terrain, and became engulfed in flames shortly after coming to rest. Examination of the wreckage by an FAA inspector revealed no apparent mechanical anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2002_LAX02LA109.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (stall, loss of control). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Semantic Scholar 2016 · Article (Interacción)
Trajectory Recovery System: Angle of Attack Guidance for Inflight Loss of Control
This paper describes the design and development of an ecological display to aid pilots in the recovery of an In-Flight Loss of Control event due to a Stall (ILOC-S).
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2010 · Accident report
Loss of Control on Approach — Colgan Air Flight 3407
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- NASA NTRS 2026 · Conference Paper
Computational Analysis of Steady State Aerodynamics of Transonic Truss-Braced Wing Configuration in Deep Stall
This study presents a computational investigation of steady state aerodynamics of the Subsonic Ultra-Green Aircraft Research (SUGAR) Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) configuration over a wide range …
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
A Scoping Review of Aviation Loss of Control Inflight Research
Loss of control – inflight (LOC-I) contributes to aircraft accidents at unacceptably high rates. Significant industry efforts and research have aimed to improve LOC-I prevention, detection, and recove…
- arXiv 2025 · arXiv preprint
Quadratic Programming Approach to Flight Envelope Protection Using Control Barrier Functions
Ensuring the safe operation of aerospace systems within their prescribed flight envelope is a fundamental requirement for modern flight control systems.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2024 · SKYbrary article
Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I) — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary comprehensive knowledge-base entry on Loss of Control In-Flight — definitions, contributing factors, accident case studies (Air France 447, Colgan 3407), and prevention strategies.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗