Emigh Aircraft TROJAN A2 accident near Brentwood, California, April 22, 2000
On April 22, 2000 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Emigh Aircraft TROJAN A2, registered N8324H, was destroyed in an accident near Brentwood, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2000 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brentwood, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Emigh Aircraft TROJAN A2
- Registration
- N8324H · no longer on the register · serial 27
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The owner/pilot of a vintage unregistered airplane, along with two other airplanes, had flown from one private airstrip to another for lunch. The airplane/owner pilot did not possess a medical certificate. They departed after lunch and the accident plane owner/pilot radioed one of the other pilots and stated he was 'going to check the stock.' The airplanes went their separate ways. Witnesses reported that the accident airplane was flying low, about 100 feet above ground level. Two of the witnesses stated that the plane suddenly spiraled downward counterclockwise; one stated that the plane was turning when the nose started to move up and then it just fell out of the sky. The private rated passenger pilot possessed a medical certificate and was rated for single engine land airplanes and reported about 85 flight hours. The toxicological report for the passenger rated pilot was positive for over-the-counter medications with impairment potential.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE Merwins Ranch CA
- Destination: NONE Knightsen Field CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from CCR, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.