Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
San Luis Obispo, California 93401
Friday, December 30, 1994 21:30 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE ACCIDENT SITE IS ON THE SOUTH FACE OF A MOUNTAIN AT 3,000 FEET MSL. THE MOUNTAIN IS PART OF THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN RANGE WHICH SEPARATES SAN LUIS OBISPO FROM THE GREATER SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, WHERE THE PILOT'S DESTINATION IS LOCATED. CEILINGS IN THE AREA WERE MEASURED BETWEEN 2,600 AND 2,300 FEET. THE NON INSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT RECEIVED TWO WEATHER BRIEFINGS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AND WAS ADVISED THAT MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED WITH SAN LUIS OBISPO REPORTING A MEASURED CEILING OF 3,500 BROKEN AND VISIBILITY 10 MILES. THE BRIEFER ADDED AN OBSERVATION FROM AN AIRPORT ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF SAN LUIS OBISPO, WHICH HAD CEILINGS OF 3,000 FEET OVERCAST. THE BRIEFER THEN PROVIDED THE PILOT WITH THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY OBSERVATIONS INDICATING CLEAR CONDITIONS BELOW 12,000 FEET. THE PILOT RESPONDED, 'THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR US'. THE PILOT STATED HIS INTENDED CRUISE ALTITUDE AS, 'ABOUT FORTY FIVE HUNDRED FEET ONCE WE GET PAST THESE CLOUDS'. THE BURNED AND FRAGMENTED WRECKAGE WAS SPREAD OVER 260 FEET ON A 10-DEGREE DESCENDING PATH ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE. NO MECHANICAL FAILURES WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the pilot's intentional flight into an area of known marginal weather conditions during a night cross-country flight and the flight's subsequent inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions at an altitude insufficient to remain clear of the surrounding terrain.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/30/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Friday |
| Time of Event | 2130 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | SAN LUIS OBISPO |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 93401 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Partial - limited by pilot |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 2050 Pacific Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 220 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SBP |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 209 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 18 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2300 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Overcast |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 8 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 9 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 6 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1958 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 31 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1120 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 12:45PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N26443 |
| NTSB Number | LAX95FA068 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | GRUMMAN |
| Aircraft Model | AA-5A |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | AA-5A |
| Aircraft Serial Number | AA5A0593 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2200 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 18 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WILSON S. GAREY |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 16925 AVENUE 264 |
| Aircraft Owner City | VISALIA |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 93292 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | SBP |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 2045 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | 1Q7 |
| Destination City | TULARE |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |