Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA 1B accident near Hawthorne, CA
On June 11, 2016, a Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA 1B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Hawthorne, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 11, 2016
- Place
- Hawthorne, CA
- Aircraft
- Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA 1B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.920°N, 118.358°W
- NTSB ID
- 20160610X10917
Official records · WPR16FA124
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Memorandum for Record - Controller Statements: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 10, 2016, at 1710 Pacific daylight time, a Grumman American Aviation Corporation AA-1B, N4SU, was destroyed when it impacted a residence shortly after takeoff from Jack Northrop Field/Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR), Hawthorne, California. The private pilot and flight instructor were fatally injured. There were no ground injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight, and no flight plan was filed. A mechanic at a fixed-base operator (FBO) at HHR stated that the pilot and the instructor met in the lobby of the FBO before proceeding to the airplane about 10 minutes later. He stated that the flight was part of a flight review. The mechanic stated that he was not familiar with the instructor and that the pilot typically flew alone. He observed the airplane take off and stated that he "knew something was wrong" when the airplane was about 3/4 of the way down the runway during the takeoff roll. As it neared the departure end of the runway, the airplane was "about at the roofline" of the surrounding buildings and in a nose-up attitude. He stated that the engine sounded "smooth" but like it was "at half power." The tower controllers at HHR reported that the pilot phoned the tower to arrange for a no-radio departure using light gun signals. During this conversation, the pilot said that he had obtained the current automated weather information. The airplane taxied to runway 25, was issued a green l
Probable cause
The failure of both pilots to land the airplane on the remaining runway when a sufficient rate of climb could not be attained. Contributing to the accident was a reduction of available engine power due to severe camshaft lobe wear.
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Browse: California · Grumman American Avn. 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.
