Cessna 195A accident near Santa Paula, California, July 3, 1994
On July 3, 1994 at about 3:10 pm local time, a Cessna 195A, registered N9300A, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Paula, California. It was a personal 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 noninstrument-rated pilot's intentional VFR flight into IMC conditions and the resultant in-flight loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1994 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Paula, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195A · all 195As on the register
- Registration
- N9300A · no longer on the register · serial 7514
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE DEPARTING FOR A SHORT FLIGHT TO ANOTHER AIRPORT. A PILOT EXAMINER WITNESS STATED THAT THE WEATHER WAS ABOUT 600 FOOT OVERCAST WITH ABOUT .50 MILE VISIBILITY. ANOTHER WITNESS STATED THAT HE WAS USING HIS WINDSHIELD WIPERS DUE TO THE HEAVY MIST. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED HEARING UNUSUAL SOUNDS FROM AN AIRPLANE IN THE OVERCAST. THEY THEN OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE SPIRALING OUT OF THE OVERCAST WITH A WING MISSING. THE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. SOME AREAS IN THIS NARROW VALLEY LOCATION WERE REPORTED TO BE IN THE CLEAR. THE LEFT WING OUTBOARD PANEL SEPARATED AT MIDSPAN WITH EVIDENCE OF A POSITIVE OR UPWARDS LOAD. THE LEFT AILERON WAS NOT FOUND AT THE TIME OF THE ON-SCENE INVESTIGATION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AILERON WAS RECOVERED. THE WING HINGE FITTINGS FROM THE SEPARATED AILERON WERE METALLURGICALLY EXAMINED. THE EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THERE WERE EXISTING CRACKS AT THE INBOARD LOWER AILERON ATTACH POINT AT THE WING REAR SPAR. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE FITTINGS HAD PULLED OUT FROM THE AILERON SPAR DURING THE WING OVERLOAD.
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: 800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs 755-B2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SZP CA at 3:05 pm
- Destination: L01 Llano CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:10 am, 1 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.