- Date
- August 14, 1989, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Butte Meadows, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3795KPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890814029189A
- Case key
- 26478
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
The pilot improper in-flight planning to attain proper altitude to clear the mountainous terrain. Contributing factor(s) was: the high terrain and high density attitude.
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 pilot stated that while climbing to 9,000 ft, he cleared a mountain peak, but the aircraft descended as if in a downdraft. Hit trees at about 4,500 ft elevation. Density alt about 7000 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3795K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-23732
- Airframe hours
- 2,224
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Andrew I. Reichmuth
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1989 · 9 hours before
- Departed
- RBL · Red Bluff, CA
- Destination
- 059 · Cedarville, 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
- 73
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,400 total · 250 in this make and model · 1,350 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.