Riviera Production

Six FN-333 Rivieras on production line ca. 1961?
 SIAI Marchetti, Vergiate Plant, Italy
I-SIAI (#102) and I-RAIA (#?)

This page will try to document the individual stories of each and every FN-333 Riviera built.  However, this seems to be very difficult puzzle to solve.  The Riviera amphibians were built by at least 3 different manufacturers (Nardi, Fiat and SIAI Marchetti).  Also it seems that the same registration numbers have been used for more than one Riviera...  When a Riviera was exported, a registration number could be reissued to another airframe in the production line.  SIAI Marchetti probably built two batches of Rivieras, and some reporters might confuse researchers when incorrectly reporting a Riviera's serial number; e.g. MSN 002, 102 and 0102 are three aircraft from three different batches!  If you can help solve some of these mysteries, please contact:

Steinar Saevdal
[Editor & Webmaster]

 

I-RAIA - Serial Number unknown...

PROTOTYPES - VERSION 1
S Photo: MSN: Mfg: Model: Year: Reg. Nos: Remarks:
U I-KISS (1) NARDI FN-333 1952 I-???? 1952-12-04 first flight by Mario Stoppani.
Nardi Prototype #1.
Continental C-145, 145 hp.
3 seats.
Rounded tail fins.
Two windows each side.
M I-???? (2) NARDI FN-333 1954 I-???? Nardi Prototype #2.
Continental C-145, 145 hp.
3 seats.
Rounded tail fins.
Two windows each side.
Never flew?
Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci", Milano.
 
PROTOTYPE - VERSION 2
S Photo: MSN: Mfg: Model: Year: Reg. Nos: Remarks:
C I-KISS (3) NARDI FN-333-S 1954 I-KISS 1954-12-08 first flight by Nello Valzania (?).
Nardi Prototype #3.
Continental C-225, 225 hp.
4 seats.
Rounded tail fins.
Larger engine, four seats.
Three windows each side.
1955-01-24 crashed when entering uncontrollable spin near Linate Airport, Milan, Italy, during test flight. Test pilot Nello Valzania was killed.
 
PRE-PRODUCTION (VERSION 3)
S Photo: MSN: Mfg: Model: Year: Reg. Nos: Remarks:
U I-EUST (4) FIAT ? FN-333-1 1956 I-EUST
I-RAIA?		 1956-10-14 first flight by G. Ferrari.
FIAT build #1?.
Continental O-470-H, 240 hp.
4 seats.
Remanufactured as # 101?
U I-ELYO (5) FIAT ? FN-333-1  ? I-ELYO FIAT build #2?.
Continental O-470-H, 240 hp.
4 seats.
Main wheels into wings.
Remanufactured as # 102.
U I-RAIE (6) FIAT ? FN-333-1  ? I-RAIE FIAT build #3?.
Continental O-470-H, 240 hp.
4 seats.
Main wheels into wings.
Remanufactured as # 104?
U I-RAID (7) SIAI Marchetti ? FN-333-1  ? I-RAID
(I-RAIB?)		 SIAI Marchetti build #1?
Continental O-470-H, 240 hp.
4 seats.
Main wheels into wings.
Remanufactured as # 103?
C I-RAIG (8) SIAI Marchetti ? FN-333-1 1958 I-RAIG SIAI Marchetti build #2?
1958-12-04 first flight ?.
1960-03-29 C of A issued.
FIAT built Prototype 2 ?.
Continental O-470-H, 240 hp.
4 seats.
Main wheels into wings.
1960-12-08 crashed Lago di Como. 

It seems that at least 5 pre-production aircraft were built, 3 (?) by FIAT and 2 (?) by SIAI Marchetti. Compared to Nardi 4-seat prototype (I-KISS), they had Continental O-470-H, 240 hp engine and redesigned tail fins. Main wheels were still folding into wings. They also had landing light mounted in the nose. An unknown number (4?) of pre-production aircraft were remanufactured to "production standard" by SIAI  Marchetti.  Remanufacture included moving main wheels from wings to aft fuselage. Engine was changed from O-470-H with carburetor to production standard IO-470-P engine with fuel injections.  See below...

 
PRODUCTION - REMANUFACTURED (4 PCS)
S Photo: MSN: Mfg: Model: Year: Reg. Nos: Remarks:
U I-RAIA 101 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1960? (I-EUST?)
I-RAIA?		 Remanufactured from pre-production version?
R I-ELYO 102 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1961? I-ELYO
N5HL		 Remanufactured from pre-production version I-ELYO with main wheels folding into wings, to main wheels into aft fuselage, and standard IO-470-P engine.
Under restoration, or stored?
U I-RAID 103 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1961? I-RAID? Remanufactured from pre-production version?
FAI World Records by Giuseppe Alesini?
D I-SIAI 104 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1961? I-RAIE?
I-SIAI		 Remanufactured from pre-production version?
1966-04-02 accident. Scrapped.

An unknown number of pre-production aircraft were remanufactured by SIAI  Marchetti.  Remanufacture included moving main wheels from wings to aft fuselage. Engine was changed from O-470-H with carburetor to production standard IO-470-P engine with fuel injections.  Supposedly, the SIAI Marchetti built aircraft had "22 modifications of improvement" to the pre-production aircraft.

 
PRODUCTION - BATCH 1 (11 PCS)
S Photo: MSN: Mfg: Model: Year: Reg. Nos: Remarks:
C N73902 001 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1962 I-RAIA?
N73902
N622		 1962-11-08 CdN/E # 6554/E.
1964-01-07 accident. W/O.
1964-11-27 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
F N627 002 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1962 N73900
N627		 1962-08-04 CdN/E # 6510/E.
Flying!
U N623 003 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1962 N73901
N623		 1962-08-09 CdN/E # 6514/E.
1973-06-27 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
Possibly stored for rebuild?
C N628 004 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1962 N8294E
N628		 1962-12-27 CdN/E # 6579/E.
1974-05-24 aircraft nosed over and crashed in water, after starting to porpoise on landing at Tallahassee, Florida.  Injuries: 1 fatal, 1 serious.
1981-05-07 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
D I-SIAE 005 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1963 I-SIAE
(LN-HHD)		 1963-06-05 CdN # 6677.
1965-07-05 aircraft overturned at moorings for unknown reason on Bergen Harbor, Norway.  Salvaged and brought ashore.  Engine removed. 
1965-07-21 destroyed during helicopter lift from Bergen.
C 006 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1963 N624 1963-08-12 CdN/E # 6717/E.
1965-08-19 aircraft crashed and sank when landing gear down on Three Lakes, Wisconsin.  Injuries: 3 serious.
1965-10-22 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
C 007 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1963 N625 1963-08-12 CdN/E # 6718/E.
1968-10-25 aircraft stalled and crashed on approach, when engine quit from fuel starvation at Akron, Ohio.  Fuel selector on empty tank.  Injuries: 1 fatal.
2013-08-05 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
C N626 008 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1963? I-RAID?
N626		 1964-08-29 CdN/E # 6868/E.
1968-09-02 aircraft struck an object during landing on water in Winter Haven, Florida.  Landing was aborted and aircraft landed on airport.  Substantial damage to aircraft.  Injuries: 2 minor/none.
1971-10-07 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
R SE-CWN 009 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1963-04 I-SIAU
SE-CWN
LN-BEG		 Stored near Bardufoss Airport (ENDU), Norway.
2005-09-02 cancelled from Norwegian CAR.
C OO-HEB 010 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1966 I-RAIV
OO-DEA
OO-HEB		 1966-09-23 CdN/E # ????/E
1968-07-25 Accident at Heppignies, Belgium.
U 011 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1963 (SE-EEN) Temporarily registered on Swedish CAR to Travelair Scandinavia AB; Norrköping, until 1963-08-24.
 
PRODUCTION - BATCH 2 (11 PCS)
S Photo: MSN: Mfg: Model: Year: Reg. Nos: Remarks:
R VH-SAV 0101 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1964 I-SIAO
VH-SAV		 Under restoration in Australia.
R F-BTAM (Photo: Berend Jan Floor) 0102 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1966 I-RAIW
OO-DEB
OO-HAR
F-BTAM		 1966-09-23 CdN/E # ????/E.
Under restoration in France.
C LN-NPA 0103 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1965 LN-NPA
OO-HPA
OH-SRA		 1989-05-11 engine failure during second test flight after seven years storage.  Crashed and burned out at Hyvinkää.
1989-07-07 cancelled from Finnish CAR.
F N918NS (Photo: Matthias Falkenberg) 0104 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1964 I-SIAM
N918NS		 1966-04-21 CdN/E # 7121/E.
Flying!
C N914NS (Photo: Glenn E. Chatfield) 0105 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1965 N912NS 1965-09-09 CdN/E # 7006/E.
1984-07-12 crashed Lansing, Michigan.
2013-05-22 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
F C-GKMD 0106 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1965 N916NS
C-GKMD
N993DM		 1966-01-19 CdN/E # 7062/E.
Flying! (?)
R N913NS 0107 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1965 N913NS 1965-10-25 CdN/E # 7022/E.
Under restoration, or stored?
Daniel Fulwiler, Wisconsin.
R N914NS 0108 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1965 N914NS 1965-10-25 CdN/E # 7023/E.
Under restoration, or stored?
Stuart Hanley, Florida.
C 0109 SIAI Marchetti FN-333 1965 N917NS 1966-01-19 CdN/E # 7063/E.
1970-08-30 aircraft observed at level flight 1500 ft AGL, when power was reduced and aircraft entered a spin and crashed at Shelton, CT.  Aircraft took off from Bridgeport, CT, for a training flight. Injuries: 2 fatal.
1970-09-18 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
C N95DR 0110 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1965-12 I-RAIA?
N6252
N95DR		 1966-04-21 CdN/E # 7087/E.
2007-05-27 crashed at Minden Airport, Nevada.  Pilot Egon Fritz (Germany) was killed.
2008-02-08 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
U 0111 SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1964 N632 1964-10-30 CdN/E # 6891/E.
1965-04-17 aircraft substantial damaged when struck a submerged object on landing on river at Secaucus, New Jersey.  Injuries: 1 minor/none.
Possibly stored for rebuild?
2013-08-05 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.
 
PRODUCTION - REMANUFACTURED FROM PARTS? (1 PC)
S Photo: MSN: Mfg: Model: Year: Reg. Nos: Remarks:
D 12BIS SIAI Marchetti
 FN-333 1969 I-RAIA?
N591W		 1983-05-25 the aircraft was being taxied in after landing when the engine quit.  The pilot cranked the engine to restart, when an explosion was heard and flames appeared in the cabin area.  The pilot evacuated the aircraft as flames totally destroyed it.
2013-02-26 cancelled from FAA Aircraft Registry.

Possibly rebuild of a previous FN-333 Riviera.

F-BTAM

F-BTAM
Photo: © courtesy Berend Jan Floor / AirOnline.nl

ITALIAN RAI EXPORT C of A

Date of Issue: RAI Export C of A: MSN: Italy: Reg. No: Remarks:
1962-08-04  CdN/E # 6510/E 002 n/a N73900 N627
1962-08-09 CdN/E # 6514/E 003 n/a N73901 N623
1962-11-08  CdN/E # 6554/E 001 I-RAIA? N73902 N622
1962-12-27 CdN/E # 6579/E 004 n/a N8294E N628
1963-08-12 CdN/E # 6717/E 006 n/a N624  
1963-08-12 CdN/E # 6718/E 007 n/a N625  
1964-08-29 CdN/E # 6868/E 008 I-RAID? N626  
1964-10-30 CdN/E # 6891/E 0111 n/a N632  
1965-09-09 CdN/E # 7006/E 0105 n/a N912NS  
1965-10-25 CdN/E # 7022/E 0107 n/a N913NS  
1965-10-25 CdN/E # 7023/E 0108 n/a N914NS  
1966-01-19 CdN/E # 7062/E 0106 n/a N916NS C-GKMD, N993DM
1966-01-19 CdN/E # 7063/E 0109 n/a N917NS  
1966-03-15 CdN/E # ????/E 102 I-ELYO N5HL  
1966-04-21 CdN/E # 7087/E 0110 n/a N6262 N95DR
1966-04-21 CdN/E # 7121/E 0104 I-SIAM N918NS  
1966-09-23 CdN/E # ????/E 010 I-RAIV OO-DEA OO-HEB
1966-09-23 CdN/E # ????/E 0102 I-RAIW OO-DEB OO-HAR, F-BTAM

RAI = Registro Aeronautico Italiano
CdN = Certificato di Navigabilita
CdN/E = Certificato di Navigabilita per Esportazione (Export Certificate of Airworthiness)

Serial Number Plate # 009
Photo: © courtesy of Evelyn Bakken

N95DR

Serial Number Plate # 0110
 Photo: © courtesy of Hendrik van der Veen

I-EUST

I-ELYO

I-RAIE
 

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