Rio Vista Municipal Airport, Rio Vista, CA

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Airport Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Monday, July 18, 2005 in Rio Vista, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/27/2005
Aircraft: Cessna 152, registration: N68475
Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The student pilot bounced the airplane during touchdown, lost direction control, veered off the runway, and nosed over. During the approach, the pilot realized that the crosswind was very strong, which made control difficult, and he decided to execute a go around. On the second approach attempt, he decreased the airplane's airspeed to approximately 60 knots, and still found the crosswind to be very strong, making the airplane difficult to control. Shortly thereafter, the airplane made contact with the runway and bounced four times. The student pilot lost directional control of the airplane and it veered off the side of the runway onto the grass median and nosed over. During the preflight briefing with his CFI, the instructor told the student pilot to divert to another airport if he could not make the landing into Rio Vista, California. The pilot stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.  The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:  the student pilot's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing and his failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing rollout. A contributing factor was the student's failure to divert to an airport with less severe crosswind conditions. ===
Accident occurred Saturday, August 28, 2004 in Rio Vista, CA  Probable Cause Approval Date: 12/3/2004
Aircraft: Quicksilver MXL II, registration: N4358Z
Injuries: 2 Uninjured. The light experimental airplane was flying northbound a few feet above an unused levee dirt road and the right wingtip struck a stand of high bamboo growing along the east side of the road. The airplane then hit the road, skidded off the road, and into some large rocks along the levee. Both occupants were uninjured, and able to extract themselves out of the wreckage. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:  the pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from high vegetation while flying at a low altitude. ===
Accident occurred Saturday, February 02, 2002 in Rio Vista, CA Probable Cause Approval Date: 9/30/2003
Aircraft: Robinette Ultra Pup, registration: N2221X
Injuries: 2 Uninjured. The experimental, amateur-built airplane landed off-airport following a total loss of engine power on climb out. The pilot reported that during the initial climb after a slow-flight, low pass down the 4,200-foot-long runway and while about 200 feet above ground level, the engine lost all power although the propeller continued to windmill. After the accident, there was about 9 gallons of 100-octane aviation fuel aboard. Earlier the same day he had flown a prior flight leg on the same tank of fuel. The pilot suspected that carburetor icing was the cause of the engine loss of power. The airplane was equipped with a Mosler converted automotive engine, and was equipped with carburetor heat. The carburetor heat control was in the "on" position when engine power was lost. A generic carburetor icing probability chart used by the Safety Board showed the ambient temperature and dew point conditions to have been within the region marked "serious icing - cruise or climb power." The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:  The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. ===
Accident occurred Monday, March 13, 2000 in RIO VISTA, CA Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/17/2001  Aircraft: Piper PA-18-150, registration: N82751
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor.  The pilot had been maneuvering low level in an area of wind generators and power lines for 30 minutes. He started a slow right climbing turn toward a new work area, which was to the right front of the airplane. The sun was behind a cloud and he could see power lines and wind generators in the new work area. Moments later the sun came from behind the cloud and temporarily blinded him. At that instant his rear seat observer told him to 'look out.' He was flying up a draw and noted wires angling across his flight path. He maneuvered to avoid them, but contacted the last wire with his right main gear. The airplane fell to the ground when the wire snapped.  The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:  failure of the pilot to maintain clearance from power lines while maneuvering at a low altitude. A factor was glare from the sun. ===
Accident occurred Saturday, January 22, 2000 in RIO VISTA, CA  Probable Cause Approval Date: 7/15/2002
Aircraft: MINCE JURKA MJ77, registration: N751JR
Injuries: 1 Uninjured. The pilot made a forced landing in a plowed field following a loss of engine power. The airplane was a 3/4 scale P-51 replica with a fuel injected automotive engine. The flight departed Stockton with full fuel onboard, which was 32 gallons of fuel in two 16-gallon tanks, and the engine burned about 14 gallons per hour. While cruising at 3,500 feet, the airplane gradually began to lose speed and altitude. The manifold pressure remained at a cruise setting, but the pilot felt the engine was not producing power. He switched fuel tanks from left to right, cycled the ignition switch, and adjusted the mixture. The engine coolant and oil temperature gauges remained in the green, but the power continued to decline. The pilot attempted to land in a plowed field with the landing gear down, but the landing gear separated from the airplane and damaged the wing spar. The pilot reported that in order to assist in the recovery, he drained all of the fuel out of the left fuel tank , and all but 5 gallons from the right tank the day after the accident. The recovery agent drained 5 gallons of fuel from the right fuel tank and no fuel from the left tank. The fuel selector valve had been disconnected so he could not tell what position it was in. The fuel screen was clean and clear of debris; the fuel manifold distribution valve was clean and contained no fuel. The spark plugs were in good condition. After several attempts, investigators started the engine and ran it up to 3,000 rpm. They were not able to run it long because the water pump belt was broken and they couldn't get coolant to flow. A shop owner in Stockton said the airplane came in for an airshow in October, but had engine trouble. He rented the pilot shop space to work on the engine. He said the engine had a broken valve and the pilot repaired the engine himself. He said he advised the pilot to fly around the airport for an hour, but the pilot said he had run the engine on the ground for an hour and experienced no problems. The shop owner said he observed the takeoff and thought that the engine ran so rough that it could not become airborne. A company in Stockton refueled this airplane and the pilot's T-6 during the air show with a combined total of 90 gallons and had no records of refueling it since that time. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:  The loss of engine power during cruise flight for unknown reasons resulting in a forced landing in a plowed field.
Airport Take-off/Approach / Landing: