Boeing B75N1 accident near Gaviota, California, March 5, 1995
On March 5, 1995, a Boeing B75N1, registered N450SR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gaviota, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate maintenance and service of the aircraft's carburetor heat system, and the pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather conditions. The lack of a suitable area for the emergency landing was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1995
- Place
- Gaviota, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B75N1 · all B75N1s on the register
- Registration
- N450SR · registry record · serial 75-7016
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT STARTED FROM CHINO, CALIFORNIA, TO SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA. THE PILOTS REFUELED AT SANTA PAULA, CALIFORNIA, AND HAD OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR SANTA BARBARA AND SANTA MARIA. AT THE TIME OF THE BRIEFING, THEY WERE GIVEN THE 1350 HOURS SCHEDULED OBSERVATION. SANTA BARBARA WAS REPORTING 2,500 SCATTERED, AND MEASURED 4,700 OVERCAST. ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AT 1615, SANTA BARBARA WAS REPORTING MEASURED 800 FEET OVERCAST, 2 MILES VISIBILITY, WITH LIGHT RAIN AND FOG. AT THE ACCIDENT SITE A HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER REPORTED THE WEATHER WAS 700 OVERCAST, 1.5 MILES VISIBILITY, WITH MOUNTAIN TOPS OBSCURED AND LIGHT RAIN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE EXPERIENCED CARBURETOR ICING AND LOST POWER. HE CRASH LANDED ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY MEDIAN. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION FOUND AN IMPROPER CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL, BROKEN AIRBOX WITH MISSING HARDWARE, AND A COLLAPSED AIR INTAKE DUCT TO THE AIRBOX.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,753 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 1994; 125 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SZP Santa Paula CA at 9:45 pm
- Destination: SMR Santa Maria CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from SBA, 22 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.