- Date
- March 19, 1991, 22:20 local (Mar 20, 1991, 06:20 UTC)
- Place
- Vacaville, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2776MPiper PA-28R-201T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910319006559A
- Case key
- 26989
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's continued VFR flight at night under low clouds, and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude over rising terrain. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, the adverse weather and terrain conditions, and the controller's inaccurate response to the pilot's comment about flying over flat terrain.
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
Bfr flt at ngt, plt rcvd 2 wx briefings & filed VFR flt pln. Low cigs prevailed along rte. Abt 7 min after tkof, plt opened flt pln & rcvd VFR adzy fm oakland ctr with handoff to travis rapcon. After discussion abt rte, radar ctlr provided vector of 050 deg. At 2216:15, ctlr told plt radar ctc was lost due to acft's low alt & suggested a climb 'at least above 3000 ft.' at abt 2216:55, radar ctc was reacquired & ctlr told plt he was 8 mi north of napa; to this, the plt transmitted, 'ok, (pause) its all flat country out here I think isn't it' & the ctlr replied 'yea.' At 2218:19, ctlr issued hdg of 080 deg & asked abt acft's alt. When plt said 2500', ctlr adzd 2900' mtn was abt 1 mi rgt of course. At 2219:45, ctlr adzd mtn peak was less than 1 mi NE of acft. Plt indcd he would turn left, but soon thereafter, acft crashed nr top of a ridge at 2450 ft MSL. Aprx 12 mi ese at travis afb (elev 62 ft), 2155 PST wx was in part: 1200' sct, 2500' sct, 5000' ovc, & vis 7 mi with lgt rain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2776M
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-201T (PA-28R-201)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7803144
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-F, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Physical Therapy & Wellness Ct
- Registered owner
- Physical Therapy & Wellness Ct
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- HWD · Hayward, CA
- Destination
- Davis, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 76
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 21,000 total · 25 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Observed at
- SUU, 12 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.