Amateur-built AA-5A accident near Gardena, California, October 26, 2000
On October 26, 2000 at about 6:05 pm local time, a amateur-built AA-5A, registered N26470, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gardena, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The engine lost power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 2000 · about 6:05 pm local time
- Place
- Gardena, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5A
- Registration
- N26470 · registry record · serial AA5A-0614
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with an electrical line during an off airport forced landing following a loss of engine power. The pilot was doing a test flight after completion of some cylinder and carburetor work. He took off once and put it back on the ground, because he wanted to make sure everything was working fine. He did a run-up, checked the instruments, and took off again. At 400 feet the engine lost power and he could not return to the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage and caught fire when it came to rest after contacting the wires. The throttle and mixture handles were full forward. The primer was in the locked position. The carburetor heat handle was forward in the off (cold) position. The magneto switch was in the both position. The fuel pump switch was in the on position. The fuel selector valve was in the right position. The wing fuel tanks were breached and the fuel sump contained water. Investigators disconnected the fuel inlet line to the carburetor, blew into the line, and did not hear or see any leaks in the lines or at the fuel selector valve. The electric fuel pump and its attached fuel lines sustained thermal damage and were partially consumed by the post crash fire. The carburetor sustained thermal damage and could not be tested due to melted material, which clogged the fuel inlet and obstructed the float needle. Both magnetos sustained thermal damage and one sustained mechanical damage. The internal components of both magnetos were in good condition and appeared to have accrued a low number of hours. A serviceable housing cover, which included a distributor lock and capacitor, was attached to the unit that only sustained thermal damage. The magneto produced and sustained a normal running spark from 350 rpm through 2,800 rpm.
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: 1,079 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 1,079 as pilot in command; 73 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 20, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,750 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HHR Hawthorne CA at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 6:05 pm from HHR, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.