- Date
- December 7, 1983, 17:41 local (Dec 8, 1983, 01:41 UTC)
- Place
- Danville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2862CPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831207063079A
- Case key
- 23915
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 collided with rising terrain at the 1600 ft level on a dark night. The plt was on a night cross-country and hadmade a radio call saying he was unsure of his position. He then reported his alt as 2000 ft. the buchanan tower gave him a heading to fly and said he was only 10 miles from the arpt. The acft acknowledged the heading and this was the last radio contact.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2862C
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7916487
- Airframe hours
- 2,425
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Navajo Aviation
- Registered owner
- Ronald D. Eberhard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 11, 1983 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- SJC · San Jose, CA
- Destination
- CCR · Concord, CA
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 93 in this make and model · 42 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 210° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CCR, 24 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.