- Date
- July 27, 1984, 23:10 local (Jul 28, 1984, 06:10 UTC)
- Place
- Garberville, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4291PPiper PA-23-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840727075859A
- Case key
- 23989
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 trees & ground during climb after takeoff on a dark night in mountainous terrain. The wx is not considered to be a factor since the wx was VMC at the time & place of the accident. It was a moonless night and the areaof the crash suggested the flt path was directly in line with destination but over rising terrain. The acft by virtue ofits location was following a normal flt profile and no evidence was found to suggest any mechanical malfunctions. Relatives of the plt located the wreckage by aerial search on 8/22/84 at the 2900 ft level (MSL) of a 3101 ft mountain aprx 5 miles from the departure arpt on a magnetic bearing of 120 degrees. The crash & post impact fire destroyed all possibilities of toxicological analysis. The plt has flown this route at night several times.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4291P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-1791
- Airframe hours
- 2,500
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B3B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Peter J. Danto & Erica Boyd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 13, 1984 · 45 hours before
- Departed
- 016 · Garberville, CA
- Destination
- OAK · Oakland, CA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total · 50 in this make and model · 1,700 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ACV, 60 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.