- Date
- May 4, 1985, 19:46 local (May 5, 1985, 02:46 UTC)
- Place
- Baker, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N15259Piper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850504019339A
- Case key
- 24721
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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
Plt became lost on a daylight VFR flt and was unable, because of her low altitude, to receive any nav radio aids or establish radio communications. Because of apch darkness and a low fuel state she elected to perform a precautionary landing on a dirt strip. The dirt strip had so ft sand shoulders. On touchdown the left main gear was 3 ft left of the packed dirt, in the soft sand. It separated from the acft structure. Plt reported no acft failures or malfunctions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15259
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7340026
- Airframe hours
- 1,173
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Equipair
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 14, 1984 · 120 hours before
- Departed
- HWD · Hayward, CA
- Destination
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Airport
- Halloran Springs, runway 5, 2,400 × 45 ft, dirt
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
- 39
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 304 total · 7 in this make and model · 118 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DAG, 55 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.
Other investigations on N15259 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.