Witnesses Describe Spin Before Impact

A Fresno pilot was killed Sunday when his experimental aircraft went down alongside a highway near Yuba County, CA.

Stanley McDonald, 52, died after he apparently experienced mechanical difficulties, and lost control of his Barnett J4B-2 gyroplane (type shown at right). The accident closed Highway 70 for more than three hours, according to The Marysville (CA) Appeal-Democrat.

According to Yuba County Sheriff's Sgt. Joe Million, McDonald was "heading east toward the highway" when trouble began.

"He was doing some basic maneuvers over above Ostrom Road and I was standing right underneath him watching," said Robert Fritz, a Yuba County resident. "The wind changed direction and the propeller caught the tail. There was a little explosion and that sent debris out."

Fritz said he saw the aircraft "go into a spin" and watched the pilot struggling to gain control as he fought the controls, missing a field and several power lines.

"I saw him drop down, hit the tree and hit down as hard as you could imagine," Fritz said.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 445SM        Make/Model: EXP       Description: J4B-2 EXP
  Date: 04/29/2007     Time: 1900

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: MARYSVILLE   State: CA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED ONTO A HIGHWAY UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE ONE PERSON
  ON BOARD WAS FATALLY INJURED, MARYSVILLE, CA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: METAR MYV 291853Z AUTO 18007KT 10SM CLR 26/07 A2996

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  Departed:                             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination:                          Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: SACRAMENTO, CA  (WP25)                Entry date: 04/30/2007

FMI: www.faa.gov