- Date
- August 17, 1983, 05:50 local (12:50 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N5698VPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830817041789A
- Case key
- 23492
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The non-instrument rated plt & a passenger took off from the arpt at dawn before the control tower was in operation. The takeoff was at 0549 PDT in IMC conditions. Shortly after taking off, the acft crashed. One witness stated that he heard the acft takeoff 'on 19', then heard the eng like it was in a dive. Another witness heard the acft fly over his house, then turn around & fly back over his house & crash. He stated the wx was foggy, but he could see runway lights about 400 to 500 yards away. At 0620 PDT, tower personnel observed the wx was: 200 ft indefinite ceiling, visibility 1/2 mi with fog, temp 57, dew point 55, wind calm. During impact, the acft was demolished & the wreckage was strewn over a path 345 ft long. A piece of red lens was found near the 1st impact point. There was no record of a preflt wx briefing or communication with any radio facility.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5698V
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7790499
- Airframe hours
- 1,858
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Richard P. Jiminez
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 16, 1982 · 117 hours before
- Destination
- PAO · Palo Alto, CA
- Airport
- STS · Sonoma Co.
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.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 152 total · 99 in this make and model · 110 as pilot in command · 57 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.