# Accident 19870317082669A: Piper PA24250, Columbia, CA, March 17, 1987

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 17, 1987, 22:40 local time
- Place: Columbia, CA
- Airport: Columbia
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Go Round (Aborted VFR)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.8500° N, 120.4898° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.8500&lon=-120.4898&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5393P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5393P-1996-05-16) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-250 (registry code 7102404, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24250
- Reported engine: LYC O540A1A5
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Pilot flight hours: 1,300 total, 95 in this make and model, 2 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX87FA149](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX87FA149) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19870317082669A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

MISSED VFR NIGHT APPROACH DUE TO LOW CLOUDS. PULLED UP INTO CLOUDS TO CLIMB ON TOP. WENT INTO SPIRAL AND CRASHED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

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.

- [NTSB LAX87FA149](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX87FA149), Mar 18, 1987: Piper PA-24-250 (N5393P), Jamestown, CA, destroyed, 4 fatal

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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