- Date
- October 3, 1985, 20:40 local (Oct 4, 1985, 03:40 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N6726YPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851003053939A
- Case key
- 24993
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
On oct. 3, 1985, pipter PA-23-250 crashed into the pacific ocean while on an air sampling flt near Santa Barbara, CA. The ac was destroyed and the two plts were fatally injured. The flt was to be flown along a predermined route utilizing loran navaids. The ac operator was sure the way plts were correct and were entered properly. The ac was in radio contact with Santa Barbara approach control and reported no difficulties. A review of this info by the operator indicated the ac was on course as scheduled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6726Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27-4058
- Airframe hours
- 2,784
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- No damage
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Sonoma Technology, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 2, 1985 · 47 hours before
- Departed
- CMA · Camarillo, 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
- 62
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 24,290 total · 144 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.