Curtiss-Wright TRAVEL AIR 2000 accident near Fairfield, California, May 14, 1988
On May 14, 1988 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Curtiss-Wright TRAVEL AIR 2000, registered N6130, was destroyed in an accident near Fairfield, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN AIRSPEED AT WHICH THE AIRCRAFT IS CONTROLLABLE AND ENTERING A STALL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 14, 1988 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Fairfield, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Curtiss-Wright TRAVEL AIR 2000 TRAVEL AIR
- Registration
- N6130 · no longer on the register · serial 628
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT AND HIS TWO PASSENGERS ENTERED LOW LEVEL FLIGHT DOWN A VALLEY TOWARDS A HILL. AS THE AIRCRAFT NEARED THE HILL IT BEGAN TO CLIMB THEN STALLED AND ENTERED A SPIN. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED THE SPIN UNTIL IT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,357 hours in all; 131 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,579 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 1987; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,180 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming R-680-13 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CL88 Vacaville CA at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from SUU, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.