Grumman AA-1B accident near Tracy, California, January 26, 1987
On January 26, 1987, a Grumman AA-1B, registered N1408R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tracy, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- January 26, 1987
- Place
- Tracy, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-1B
- Registration
- N1408R · no longer on the register · serial G14711
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST AFTER TAKEOFF WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 200 FT AGL THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A GRAVEL PIT WHERE THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A BANK. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE #1 CYLINDER AND PISTON HAD MODERATE TO SEVERE SCUFFING AND THE RINGS WERE OVER LAPPING IN SEVERAL PLACES BY METAL TRANSFER. THE #1 PISTON WAS A NEW PISTON WITH P10 STAMPED ON THE INSIDE TO INDICATE IT WAS A .010 OVERSIZED PISTON. THE REMAINING PISTONS WERE STANDARD SIZE.
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: 192 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 23, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,560 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 104 Tracy CA at 10:45 pm
- Destination: LVK Livermore CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 11, 3,680 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:46 pm from SCK, 12 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.