Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 accident near Fillmore, California, December 19, 1995
On December 19, 1995 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Great Lakes 2T-1A-2, registered N3511L, was destroyed in an accident near Fillmore, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the pilot to take proper remedial action to recover from an intentional spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 1995 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fillmore, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Great Lakes 2T-1A-2 · all 2T-1A-2s on the register
- Registration
- N3511L · registry record · serial 0793
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At completion of an aerobatic practice session, the pilot intentionally placed the aircraft in a spin from 3,000 feet agl before returning to the home airport for landing. He said the aircraft did not respond to recovery control input, and that it spun until impact with terrain. The pilot recalled that the controls felt mushy, and the spin seemed flat. He said that he had done hundreds of spins, and this one was different. During a postaccident examination of the airplane, the pitch trim was found in the full nose-up position.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,243 hours in all; 842 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,003 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 382 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 3, 1995; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming AEIO-360-B1G6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SZP Santa Paula CA at 9:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 13 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from CAM, 16 miles away
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.