Amateur-built SA-11A accident near Yucca Valley, California, July 27, 1986
On July 27, 1986 at about 7:07 pm local time, a amateur-built SA-11A, registered N315W, was destroyed in an accident near Yucca Valley, California (Yucca Valley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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 27, 1986 · about 7:07 pm local time
- Place
- Yucca Valley, California · Yucca Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SA-11A
- Registration
- N315W · registry record · serial 105
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC PLANNED A LOCAL FLIGHT IN HIS HOMEBUILT 'PLAYMATE' EXPERIMENTAL ACFT. A WITNESS REPORTED OBSERVING THE ACFT 1/8 MI N OF THE UNCONTROLLED ARPT IN A SPIN. THE PLT RECOVERED FM THE SPIN AT 200 FT AGL, & THEN ENTERED A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT UNTIL COLLIDING WITH TERRAIN. THERAPEUTIC LEVELS OF CODEINE AND MORPHINE WERE DETECTED DURING THE AUTOPSY. USAGE OF THESE COMPOUNDS IS DISQUALIFING FOR FLYING AIRCRAFT.
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: 500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, May 25, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: L22 Yucca Valley CA at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,686 ft by 90 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.
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.