- Date
- January 7, 1988, 18:19 local (Jan 8, 1988, 02:19 UTC)
- Place
- Napa, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2938XPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880107000209A
- Case key
- 25801
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's inflight loss of control of the aircraft while maneuvering in IFR conditions after becoming disoriented while executing an instrument approach procedure. Factors in the accident were the pilots lack of recent instrument flight experience and the aircraft fuel state which was near exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilots decision to continue the flight in the face of a weather brieifing which advised against VFR flight, and his decision not to proceed to an alternate destination with better weather conditions at a earlier stage in the flight.
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 plt was returning after a 2 week vacation trip to Arizona. At an enroute stop the plt ordered the acft fueled to partial tank capacity on 1 side & full on the other. He also got a wx briefing which advised against VFR flt due to clouds, fog & rain. The plt had an inst rating but was not current. The plt cont on to the dest & found worse wx conds than forecast. He asked oakland center for an approach & was given holding instructions & told to expect delays due to heavy IFR traffic. At that time the acft had about 1 hr & 30 mins of fuel left. The plt held for 47 mins before an approach clearance was issued. On the approach the plt reported the VOR inbound but radar data showed he was over the arpt instead. The plt was 3 miles past arpt when controllers told him his position. Plt claimed he had a fire & had lost his gyros & asked for vectors to arpt. Acft crashed while maneuvering in IFR cond. No evidence of fire or gyro failure was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2938X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7990575
- Airframe hours
- 1,346
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Petersen, John C.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 2, 1987 · 76 hours before
- Departed
- WJF · Lancaster, CA
- Destination
- APC · Napa, CA
- Airport
- APC · Napa County, runway 18, 5,931 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,123 total · 758 in this make and model · 990 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APC, 2 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.