Piper PA-32-260 N3206W

Summary

On 2 December 1983 at about 01:30 local time, a Piper PA-32-260 registered N3206W was involved in an accident near Holtville, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

2 December 1983 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Holtville, California, United States

Coordinates

32.8309, -115.1906

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-260

Registration

N3206W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Calexico → Yuma

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX84FA087

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT HAD DEPARTED MAZATLAN, MEXICO AT 0632 PST & HAD LANDED AT LOS MOCHIS & MEXICALI, MEXICO & AT CALEXICO, CA, WHERE HE CLEARED U.S. CUSTOMS. BEFORE DEPARTING CALEXICO, HE TELEPHONED HIS FAMILY & TOLD THEM THE WX HAD BEEN POOR ALL DAY. THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL AT YUMA, AZ WAS 1730 PST. WHEN THE ACFT DD NOT ARRIVE, A SEARCH WAS BEGUN. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND ABOUT 17 MI EAST OF IMPERIAL, CA, WHERE THE PLANE HAD CRASHED ON A WESTERLY HEADING. AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, THE ACFT WAS ESTIMATED TO HAVE BEEN IN A 15 DEG DESCENT & IN A 65 DEG RIGHT BANK. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. WITNESSES ATTESTED TO WORSENING WX & GUSTY WINDS IN THE VICINITY AT THE PRESUMED TIME OF THE CRASH. THE CO-OWNER NOTED THERE WAS A 600 FT ERROR IN THE ALTIMETER, WHICH THE PLT WOULD COMPENSATE FOR, BY ADJUSTING THE BAROMETER SETTING.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.