- Date
- December 2, 1982, 19:14 local (Dec 3, 1982, 03:14 UTC)
- Place
- Palo Alto, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N8292YPiper PA-34-200T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821202064229A
- Case key
- 72149
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 pilot stated that during takeoff, when the aircraft was about 6 to 10 ft AGL, something hit the left propeller and the left side of the aircraft's nose. He did not see anything, but assumed the plane had struck a large bird. Darkness and the baggage door were obstructing the pilot's view. He aborted the takeoff and touched down with about 300 ft of the runway remaining. The aircraft continued off the runway, went over a low mound and down a steep incline into a mudflat, then came to rest in about 12 to 18 inches of water. The nose baggage door was found open with the latch locked and the locking mechanism in the locked position. No evidence of a bird strike was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8292Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-200T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-8170032
- Airframe hours
- 355
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-EB, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Cimarron Aviation
- Registered owner
- Cimarron Aviation
- Departed
- PAO · Palo Alto, CA
- Destination
- SLE · Salem, OR
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PAO · Palo Alto, runway 12, 2,500 × 65 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 866 total · 85 in this make and model · 810 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PAO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.