# Accident 19890814029189A: Piper PA28140, Butte Meadows, CA, August 14, 1989

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 14, 1989, 11:00 local time
- Place: Butte Meadows, CA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.0192° N, 121.5700° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0192&lon=-121.5700&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3795K, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3795K-1990-08-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28140
- Reported engine: LYC O320E2A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,400 total, 250 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX89LA278](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89LA278) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890814029189A

## Narrative

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

FLYING AT 500 FEET ABOVE MOUNTAIN PEAKS ENTERED DOWNDRAFT. UNABLE TO RECOVER STRUCK TREES. DENSITY ALTITUDE FACTOR.

## 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 LAX89LA278](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89LA278), Aug 14, 1989: Piper PA-28-140 (N3795K), Butte Meadows, CA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: THE PILOT IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING TO ATTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE TO CLEAR THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR(S) WAS: THE HIGH TERRAIN AND HIGH DENSITY ATTITUDE.

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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