Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P accident near Tracy, California, July 16, 1984
On July 16, 1984 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P, registered N5553N, was destroyed in an accident near Tracy, California (Tracy airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- July 16, 1984 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tracy, California · Tracy · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Howard Aircraft Corp. DGA-15P
- Registration
- N5553N · registry record · serial 978
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE ACFT RAN OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY. THE PLT STATED THAT HE LANDED WITH A SLIGHT TAILWIND.
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: 1,037 hours in all; 189 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 946 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,118 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 4,425 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LVK Livermore CA at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,680 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from SCK, 16 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.
Other NTSB records under N5553N 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.