Amateur-built 5151 accident near Apple Valley, California, October 29, 1994
On October 29, 1994 at about 7:08 pm local time, a amateur-built 5151, registered N5246G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Apple Valley, California (Apple Valley airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the manufacturer's (owner/operator) improper balancing of the aileron flight controls which resulted in a cable separation due to overload from the aileron flutter. The rough/uneven terrain was also a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1994 · about 7:08 pm local time
- Place
- Apple Valley, California · Apple Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 5151
- Registration
- N5246G · no longer on the register · serial 13086849
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LOST AILERON CONTROL WHILE PERFORMING A LOW-ALTITUDE FLYBY. THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRPLANE ON THE RUNWAY. THE REMAINING RUNWAY, HOWEVER, WAS INSUFFICIENT TO STOP THE AIRPLANE AND THE AIRPLANE EXITED THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE AILERON REVEALED THAT THE AILERON CABLE SEPARATED FROM ITS ATTACH POINT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE AILERON WAS NOT PROPERLY BALANCED.
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: 400 hours in all; 171 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 171 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 5, 1994; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,035 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rotax 582 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.