- Date
- April 28, 1985, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Garberville, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8273LPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850428073989A
- Case key
- 24500
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
Witnesses reported that the acft departed shelter cove, elevation 69 ft, and headed east toward a 2000 ft high mountain located 1 3/4 miles away. They continued to report the acft was climbing at a slow rate in a nose high attitude. The acft contacted trees at the top of the mountain and continued over the crest into a canyon where it came to rest inverted. Witnesses stated that after departing shelter cove most plts fly west over the ocean to gain alt before turning east toward the mountains.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8273L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 288190048
- Airframe hours
- 1,357
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Rivercity Air Charter
- Registered owner
- Gene Marsh
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 25, 1985 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- 0Q5 · Shelter Cove, CA
- Destination
- SAC · Sacramanto, CA
- Airport
- 0Q5 · Shelter Cove
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 2 in this make and model · 164 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.