- Date
- April 5, 1983, 16:35 local (Apr 6, 1983, 00:35 UTC)
- Place
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N15278Piper PA 32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830405013989A
- Case key
- 23668
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 acft departed rwy 29, & at about 200 ft AGL the eng was heard to sputter & surge. The acft was then observed in a steep left bank toward rwy 7. The wings leveled just prior to impact about 100 ft short of rwy 7. Arpt police personnel inspected the acft immediately after the accident & found the fuel selector positioned to the left tip tank. The left tip tank was empty & both mains were full. The plt stated he had switched the fuel tank to left main prior to takeoff.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15278
- Reported as
- Piper PA 32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7340030
- Airframe hours
- 2,134
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1A, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Flight East
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 22, 1982 · 9 hours before
- Destination
- SBA · Santa Barbara, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SBP · San Luis Obispo, runway 7, 4,000 × 150 ft, dirt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,843 total · 16 in this make and model · 2,844 as pilot in command · 52 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBP
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.