Grumman AA-1C accident near Santa Paula, California, December 31, 1993
On December 31, 1993 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Grumman AA-1C, registered N39036, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Paula, California (Santa Paula airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, and subsequent inadvertent stall during an undetermined loss of engine power following takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1993 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Paula, California · Santa Paula · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-1C
- Registration
- N39036 · no longer on the register · serial AA1C-0196
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FOLLOWING TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 70 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND IN A NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE. THE PASSENGER REPORTED THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT DEVELOPING FULL POWER AND, WHILE THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING SEVERAL EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, THE STALL HORN SOUNDED SEVERAL TIMES. THE PILOT BEGAN A LEFT TURN TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND THE STALL HORN SOUNDED AGAIN. THE AIRPLANE SHARPLY DESCENDED NOSE DOWN INTO A SMALL RIVER AREA AND CAME TO REST INVERTED IN ABOUT 3 FEET OF WATER. THE PASSENGER MANAGED TO ESCAPE; HOWEVER, THE PILOT REMAINED TRAPPED IN THE WRECKAGE. NO MALFUNCTION OF THE ENGINE COULD BE ESTABLISHED.
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: 133 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 64 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,312 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 18, 1993; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,560 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Aero-Flite
The flight
- Destination: OXR Oxnard CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 2,650 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:48 pm from CMA, 8 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.