Globe GC-1B accident near Trona, California, April 25, 1999
On April 25, 1999 at about 4:30 am local time, a Globe GC-1B, registered N80720, was destroyed in an accident near Trona, California (Trona airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate terrain clearance altitude while performing intentional low altitude passes over a campground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1999 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Trona, California · Trona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Globe GC-1B · all GC-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N80720 · no longer on the register · serial 123
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot flew over a campground at an altitude that was less than 100 feet. The pilot and several friends subsequently visited the campground. One of the female campers asked for an airplane ride, and this pilot volunteered. The airplane made three passes directly over the campground; each pass was successively lower. The altitude was estimated at less than 100 feet for all three passes. The sun had set, and the airplane appeared in silhouette as it passed by. After the third pass, the airplane was observed to make a hard right turn and angle down. A sun and moon computer program determined there was 75 percent illumination of the moon and civil twilight was at 2033. No discrepancies were found with the airplane or engine. Positive results for amitriptyline and nortriptyline were obtained from blood and liver samples. The doctor who prescribed this medication was not the pilot's Aviation Medical Examiner. The doctor told the Safety Board Medical Officer the patient had not reported any daytime sedation due to this medication. The doctor was not aware his patient was a pilot. FAA Aviation Medical Examiners are instructed (1996 Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners, page 21) to defer certification to the FAA Aeromedical Certification division for any airman on "mood-ameliorating" medication. A certified copy of the pilot's application for a medical certificate did not list amitriptyline in block 17 "Do you currently use any medication (Prescription or Nonprescription)."
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: 794 hours in all; 11 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 597 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 2, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,910 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 1998; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,710 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-300A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L72 Trona CA at 4:20 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 am from IYK, 26 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.