Amateur-built AA-5B accident near Placerville, California, May 3, 1984
On May 3, 1984 at about 11:47 am local time, a amateur-built AA-5B, registered N28867, was destroyed in an accident near Placerville, California (Swansboro Country airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 3, 1984 · about 11:47 am local time
- Place
- Placerville, California · Swansboro Country · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built AA-5B
- Registration
- N28867 · no longer on the register · serial 0873
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT LIVED NEAR THE ARPT & HAD BEEN COMMUTING TO SACRAMENTO, CA FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS. RWY 27 WAS THE PROMINANT RWY & THE ARPT WAS SURROUNDED BY HILLS. SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF, THE ACFT CRASHED ABOUT 2 MI WEST OF THE ARPT WHILE IN A RIGHT WING LOW ATTITUDE ON A HEADING OF ABOUT 060 DEG. SEVERAL FAMILIES HEARD THE ACFT START & TAKEOFF. ONE PERSON, WHO WAS A PLT, ESTIMATED THE WX WAS ABOUT 100 FT OVERCAST, 1/4 MI VISIBILITY, WING CALM WITH MODERATE RAINFALL. A FARMER NEAR THE CRASH SITE SAID HE HEARD THE ACFT TAKEOFF, & SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE ENG MADE A MUCH LOUDER SOUND, AS IF THE PLANE WAS IN A POWER DIVE. NO RECORDS WERE FOUND TO INDICATE THE PLT HAD ANY INSTRUMENT TRAINING.
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: 400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,278 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 7, 1983; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4K (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 61Q at 11:46 am
- Destination: SAC Sacramento CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,235 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N28867 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.