North American T-6G accident near Green Valley, California, October 11, 1993
On October 11, 1993 at about 8:10 pm local time, a North American T-6G, registered N7765C, was destroyed in an accident near Green Valley, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the CFI's failure to maintain the proper altitude while flying over mountainous terrain, and his inadvertent flight into instrument weather conditions. Contributing factors were the CFI's improper in-flight decision to fly at the low altitude and his misjudged evaluation of the weather.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 1993 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Green Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- North American T-6G · all T-6Gs on the register
- Registration
- N7765C · registry record · serial 50-1288A
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The CFI planned to check out his student, who was a foreign country airline pilot, in the North American T-6G. The CFI planned to fly in a northward direction to Lancaster, which required traveling over rising mountainous terrain. At departure, a broken ceiling existed with a 3,000-foot msl base. Witnesses observed the northbound T-6G flying below the clouds and maneuvering up a canyon. Seconds before the airplane made a 180-degree course reversal turn and impacted the side of a mountain, it was observed flying in a northward direction 100 to 200 feet over a home and just below the cloud bases. The visibility was estimated at 0.25 miles, and the crash site elevation was about 3,600 feet msl.
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: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,184 hours in all; 71 in the last 90 days; 3,088 as pilot in command; 628 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 6, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-1340-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 7:46 pm
- Destination: WJF Lancaster CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.