Grumman AA-5A accident near San Luis Obispo, California, December 31, 1994
On December 31, 1994 at about 5:30 am local time, a Grumman AA-5A, registered N26443, was destroyed in an accident near San Luis Obispo, 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 pilot's intentional flight into an area of known marginal weather conditions during a night cross-country flight and the flight's subsequent inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions at an altitude insufficient to remain clear of the surrounding terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1994 · about 5:30 am local time
- Place
- San Luis Obispo, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Grumman AA-5A
- Registration
- N26443 · no longer on the register · serial AA5A0593
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACCIDENT SITE IS ON THE SOUTH FACE OF A MOUNTAIN AT 3,000 FEET MSL. THE MOUNTAIN IS PART OF THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN RANGE WHICH SEPARATES SAN LUIS OBISPO FROM THE GREATER SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, WHERE THE PILOT'S DESTINATION IS LOCATED. CEILINGS IN THE AREA WERE MEASURED BETWEEN 2,600 AND 2,300 FEET. THE NON INSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT RECEIVED TWO WEATHER BRIEFINGS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE AND WAS ADVISED THAT MARGINAL VFR CONDITIONS EXISTED WITH SAN LUIS OBISPO REPORTING A MEASURED CEILING OF 3,500 BROKEN AND VISIBILITY 10 MILES. THE BRIEFER ADDED AN OBSERVATION FROM AN AIRPORT ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF SAN LUIS OBISPO, WHICH HAD CEILINGS OF 3,000 FEET OVERCAST. THE BRIEFER THEN PROVIDED THE PILOT WITH THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY OBSERVATIONS INDICATING CLEAR CONDITIONS BELOW 12,000 FEET. THE PILOT RESPONDED, 'THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR US'. THE PILOT STATED HIS INTENDED CRUISE ALTITUDE AS, 'ABOUT FORTY FIVE HUNDRED FEET ONCE WE GET PAST THESE CLOUDS'. THE BURNED AND FRAGMENTED WRECKAGE WAS SPREAD OVER 260 FEET ON A 10-DEGREE DESCENDING PATH ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE. NO MECHANICAL FAILURES WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE WRECKAGE EXAMINATION.
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: 1,065 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SBP at 4:45 am
- Destination: 1Q7 Tulare CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from SBP, 18 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.