Piper PA28-201T N8359H
27 February 1990 · Yountville, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 27 February 1990 at about 19:55 local time, a Piper PA28-201T registered N8359H, operated by Fraser, Robert G., was involved in an accident near Yountville, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Yountville, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Nape (APC)
- Coordinates
- 38.4107, -122.3598
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-201T
- Registration
- N8359H
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Fraser, Robert G.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sunriver → San Rafael
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90FA106
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT USED POOR JUDGEMENT BY ATTEMPTING A V.F.R. FLIGHT TO AN AREA WITH FORECASTED INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND CONTINUING THE FLIGHT WHEN I.F.R. CONDITIONS WERE ENCOUNTERED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE NONINSTRUMENT RATED PLT CALLED FLT SERVICE A DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT AND REQUESTED AND RECEIVED AN IFR BRIEFING FOR THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. THE WX BRIEFER PROVIDED THE PLT WITH THE BRIEFING WHICH CONSISTED OF IFR CONDITIONS AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT AREA WHICH INCLUDED THE ACCIDENT SITE. GND WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE MANEUVERING IN THE ACCIDENT AREA BEFORE IT ENTERED INTO THE 500 FT CEILING STRATUS CLOUDS. THE PREVAILING VISIBILITY WAS LESS THAN 1 MILE. THE ENGINE SOUND INCREASED RAPIDLY WHEN THE AIRPLANE ENTERED THE CLOUDS ABT 2 SECONDS BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH THE SIDE OF THE HILL. THE ACFT EXAMINATION DISCLOSED THAT IT STRUCK THE HILLSIDE IN A LEVEL FLT ATTITUDE; THE PROPELLER BLADES AND HUB ASSY SHOWED DAMAGE CHARACTERISTICS CONSISTENT WITH HIGH POWER BEING DEVELOPED AT IMPACT. NO PREEXISTING MALFUNCTIONS AND/OR FAILURES WERE NOTED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Mar 1990 | Piper PA28-140 | Durant, Oklahoma, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 1990 | Piper PA28-140 | Wadsworth, Ohio, United States | Ralph D. Brown | Fatal | 2 |
| 27 Apr 1990 | Piper PA28-235 | Granbury, Texas, United States | John W. Smith | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 May 1990 | Piper PA28-140 | Santa Rosa, California, United States | Redwood Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 2 Sep 1990 | Piper PA28-201T | Heber Springs, Arkansas, United States | Farris, Keith W | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 1990 | Piper PA28-180 | Elkhorn Lake, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |