- Date
- May 1, 1980
- Place
- Needles, CA · NEEDLES, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N38352Piper PA-32R
- Status
- Completed · report November 17, 1980
- Report
- Brief approved by the director
- FAA report
- 19800501012579A
- Case key
- 130636
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
NTSB brief
NTSB’s brief of the accident, as it was printed: the coded facts, with the probable cause and factors.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE DATE LOCATION AIRCRAFT DATA INJURIES FLIGHT PILOT DATA F S M/N PURPOSE ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3-2709 80/5/1 NEEDLES,CA PIPER PA-32R CR- 1 0 0 NONCOMMERCIAL PRIVATE, AGE 42, 374 TIME - 1204 N38352 PX- 1 0 0 BUSINESS TOTAL HOURS, 37 IN TYPE, DAMAGE-DESTROYED OT- 0 0 0 NOT INSTRUMENT RATED. DEPARTURE POINT INTENDED DESTINATION LIVERMORE,CA ALBUQUERQUE,NM TYPE OF ACCIDENT PHASE OF OPERATION COLLISION WITH GROUND/WATER: UNCONTROLLED IN FLIGHT: UNCONTROLLED DESCENT PROBABLE CAUSE(S) PILOT IN COMMAND - CONTINUED VFR FLIGHT INTO ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS PILOT IN COMMAND - SPATIAL DISORIENTATION FACTOR(S) WEATHER - LOW CEILING WEATHER - RAIN SKY CONDITION CEILING AT ACCIDENT SITE OVERCAST 6000 VISIBILITY AT ACCIDENT SITE PRECIPITATION AT ACCIDENT SITE 5 OR OVER(UNLIMITED) UNKNOWN/NOT REPORTED OBSTRUCTIONS TO VISION AT ACCIDENT SITE TEMPERATURE-F UNKNOWN/NOT REPORTED 71 WIND DIRECTION-DEGREES WIND VELOCITY-KNOTS 180 9 TYPE OF WEATHER CONDITIONS TYPE OF FLIGHT PLAN VFR NONE REMARKS- NEEDLES 1150MST WX.SEARCH PLANE REPORTED 2500FT AGL CIG,RAIN APRX 1300MST.4 DOGS,GAME FOWL ONBOARD
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38352
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
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.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.