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LAX91FA094

1991-02-09 · SONOMA, California, United States · Fatal · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND/CFI'S PERFORMANCE OF A LOW ALTITUDE AEROBATIC MANEUVER FROM WHICH HE FAILED TO RECOVER. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT RELATED TO THE PIC'S IMPROPER INFLIGHT DECISION, POOR JUDGMENT, AND HIS PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITION.

Factual narrative

AIRLINE CAPTAIN TOOK A 414-HOUR PRIVATE PILOT FOR AN AIRPLANE RIDE DURING WHICH A SERIES OF LOW LEVEL AEROBATIC MANEUVERS WERE PERFORMED. WITNESSES DESCRIBED THE MANEUVERS AS BEING WING OVERS AND/OR LOOPS, AND THEY WERE PERFORMED AT PROGRESSIVELY LOWER ALTITUDES. THE PILOT(S) FAILED TO PULL OUT OF THE FINAL MANEUVER, AND THE DUAL CONTROL AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE FIELD WHILE IN A WINGS LEVEL AND A 60 DEGREE NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE OF STRESSFUL EVENTS IN THE PILOT'S PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL LIFE. ALSO, CANNABINOID METABOLITE WAS FOUND IN HIS URINE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1991_LAX91FA094.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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