# NTSB WPR26LA037: Grumman American Avn. AA-5B, N74323, Santa Ynez, CA, October 30, 2025

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report
- Date: October 29, 2025, 18:20 local (Oct 30, 2025, 01:20 UTC)
- Place: Santa Ynez, CA
- Coordinates: 34.605494, -120.08063
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.6055&lon=-120.0806&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 1 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Parties: Federal Aviation Administration
- NTSB case key (mKey): 201956
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26LA037
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/201956/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA037

## Preliminary report

On October 29, 2025, about 1820 Pacific daylight time, a Grumman American AA-5B, N74323, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Santa Ynez, California. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was to maneuver the airplane within and above the traffic pattern of the airport. The pilot departed from runway 26 and began following the noise-abatement climb-out procedures. During the initial climb, the engine began to operate abnormally and, after about three seconds, experienced a total loss of power. The pilot further stated that he maneuvered the airplane in a shallow turn back toward the airport. He determined that the airplane would be unable to maintain sufficient altitude to return to the runway and began searching for an area to conduct an off-airport landing. He elected to touch down in a vineyard just outside the airport perimeter and secured the cockpit by retarding the mixture to full OFF. During the accident sequence, the airplane collided with grapevines and fence posts, which resulted in substantial damage to the left horizontal stabilizer. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who performed an initial examination of the airplane, the fuel tanks were ruptured as a result of the impact. The inspector was able to drain liquid from the inboard fuel tanks, and the recovered sample was clean of debris and similar in odor to fuel. An external examination of the engine revealed no evidence of holes or catastrophic damage. The wreckage was retained for further examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Initial climb: Loss of engine power (total)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341) (defining event); cases with it: [Grumman American Avn. AA-5B, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md?model=3960105), [All aircraft, 3,820 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/341/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N74323](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N74323), registered now, S/N AA5B-0201 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. AA-5B
- Registry model: [Grumman American Avn. AA-5B](https://openairdocs.org/model/grumman-american-avn-aa-5b) (registry code 3960105) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Lycoming O&VO-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (registry code 41514, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: AA5B-0201
- Year built: 1975
- Airframe hours: 3582.4
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Last inspection: Annual, September 15, 2022, 31.25 hours before
- Destination: Same as departure
- Airport: IZA, Santa Ynez/Kunkle Fld
- Equipment: Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Stall warning system

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dusk
- Wind: 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 73 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observed at: KIZA
- METAR: METAR KIZA 300115Z AUTO 26006KT 10SM CLR 23/08 A2997 RMK AO2=

## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20251029016979A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20251029016979A), Oct 29, 2025: Grumman American Avn. Corp. AA-5B, Santa Ynez, CA, Substantial damage. During climb out, engine shut down. Emergency landing in vineyard, aircraft substained substantionial damage.

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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