- Date
- December 12, 1984, 18:21 local (Dec 13, 1984, 02:21 UTC)
- Place
- Gorman, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N26131Grumman American AA-5A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841212066799A
- Case key
- 24443
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt was on a night x-country flt. When the acft did not arrive at its destination, a search was initiated. On 12/12/84, the plane was found where it had impacted an area of rising terrain while approaching the tehachapi mountains. Impact occurred on a relatively flat area at an elevation of 4250 ft while the acft was in a wings level, tail low attitude & on a heading of 336 deg. From 1/2 to 2 mi west of the accident site, the terrain rose rapidly to 6700 ft. the area winds aloft at 9000 & 12,000 ft were forecast to be from 333 deg at 45 KTS & 320 deg at 54 KTS, respectively. No evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26131
- Reported as
- Grumman American AA-5A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0448
- Airframe hours
- 509
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E26, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Capt. Steven A. Fris
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 12, 1984 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- YUM · Yuma, AZ
- Destination
- NLC · Lemoore Nas, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 30
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,896 total · 117 in this make and model · 1,572 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WJF, 24 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.