Amateur-built SA300 accident near Chatsworth, California, June 30, 1992
On June 30, 1992 at about 4:15 pm local time, a amateur-built SA300, registered N27BP, was destroyed in an accident near Chatsworth, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOTS INFLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS AND AN INADVERTENT ENTRY INTO A STALL SPIN. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE IN TYPE OF AIRCRAFT AND A LOW CLOUD COVER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 1992 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chatsworth, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SA300
- Registration
- N27BP · no longer on the register · serial 1648
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD PURCHASED THE EXPERIMENTAL 'STARDUSTER TOO' SA 300 AIRPLANE ABOUT EIGHT DAYS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. HE HAD ACCUMULATED ABOUT 15 HOURS IN THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT AND A PILOT RATED PASSENGER DEPARTED AT 0831 HOURS UNDER A BROKEN TO OVERCAST CLOUD CONDITION TO AN AIRPORT ABOUT 30 MILES TO THE WEST FOR BREAKFAST. WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE AIRPLANE SPIRALING OR SPINNING OUT OF THE CLOUDS AND IMPACT MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE WITNESSES STATED THAT THE OVERCAST WAS ABOUT 100 TO 200 ABOVE THE TERRAIN AT THE 1900 FOOT MSL ACCIDENT SITE. PILOT REPORTS INDICATED THAT THE CLOUD TOPS WERE AROUND 3500 FEET MSL. THE WITNESSES ALSO STATED THAT THEY HEARD THE AIRPLANE FLYING BACK AND FORTH IN OR ABOVE THE CLOUDS JUST PRIOR TO SEEING IT SPIRALING OR SPINNING OUT OF THE CLOUDS. THE ELEVATOR TRIM TAB WAS LOCATED IN THE FULL TAB DOWN POSITION.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,095 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 96 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,022 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 1992; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C1B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 3:31 pm
- Destination: SZP Santa Paula CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 1 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:46 pm from VNY, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.