Grumman American AA-5 accident near Joshua Tree, CA
On September 12, 2007, a Grumman American AA-5 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Joshua Tree, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 12, 2007
- Place
- Joshua Tree, CA
- Aircraft
- Grumman American AA-5 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 34.152°N, 116.196°W
- NTSB ID
- 20070927X01460
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 11, 2007, at 2228 Pacific daylight time, a Grumman AA-5, N119G, collided with elevated terrain near Joshua Tree, California. The pilot was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant was killed; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The cross-country personal flight departed Big Bear Airport (L35), Big Bear, California, at 2100, with a planned destination of Roy Williams Airport (L80), Joshua Tree. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan had been filed. According to the pilot's girlfriend, the pilot made the flight from L35 to L80 on a regular basis, and it usually took about 30 minutes. She also stated that on this occasion the pilot indicated he would extend the flight in order to build his night currency. A Garmin 296 handheld GPS receiver was recovered from the main wreckage and inspected by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge (IIC). The GPS coordinates data for the accident flight was extracted. The data indicated that the airplane departed from L35 on a northerly heading. After flying approximately 10 miles, the airplane turned right on a southeast heading for an additional 50 miles. For the remaining 50 minutes of flight, the airplane circled L80, making multiple meandering passes over the city of Twentynine Palms in the region east of Copper Mountain. Shortly thereafter, at an altitude of 4,380 feet, and 12 miles east of L80, the airplane made a turn to the west and began a gradual descent heading towards
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance during descent. Contributing to the accident were dark night conditions and mountainous terrain.
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Browse: California · Grumman American aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
