Grumman American AA-5 N119G
12 September 2007 · Joshua Tree, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 12 September 2007 at about 05:28 local time, a Grumman American AA-5 registered N119G was involved in an accident near Joshua Tree, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 05:28
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Joshua Tree, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Roy Williams Airport (L80)
- Coordinates
- 34.1522, -116.1964
- Aircraft
- Grumman American AA-5
- Registration
- N119G
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Big Bear City → Joshua Tree
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- LAX07FA272
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance during descent. Contributing to the accident were dark night conditions and mountainous terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot had informed his girlfriend that on the accident flight he was going to stay out longer than normal for night currency. Following the VFR night cross-country flight, the pilot initiated a descent for his destination airport. While descending, the airplane, in a wings-level attitude, struck hilly terrain 57 feet below the top of a 2,973 foot ridgeline. The accident flight was between two airports, which was a frequent flight for the pilot. Extracted GPS data confirmed a normal descent profile to the pilot's home airport. Due to a local power outage, which also impacted the airport, the pilot was descending without the benefit of the ground illumination. The pilot also had not reset his altimeter to the destination airports current altimeter setting, which resulted in the altimeter indicating a higher than actual altitude.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Grumman American AA-5 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 2007 | Grumman American AA-5 TRAVELER | Warrenton, Missouri, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Oct 2007 | Grumman American AA-5 | Wheatland, Wyoming, United States | Steven Burnett | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2005 | Grumman American AA-5 | Branchville, New Jersey, United States | Peter John Horvat | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2005 | Grumman American AA-5 | Chesapeake, Ohio, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 27 Feb 2010 | Grumman American AA-5 | Maple Lake, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 May 2004 | Grumman American AA-5 | Greene, Rhode Island, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 2007 | Piper PA-28-180 | Rosamond, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2007 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2C | Bridgeport, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 May 2007 | Schweizer SGS2-33A | Los Alamitos, California, United States | Civil Air Patrol - California Wing | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 2007 | Westland WASP HAS MK1 | Ramona, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2007 | Cessna 152 | Tracy, California, United States | California Airways | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 May 2007 | Skygear SKYGEAR | Chino, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |