Piper PA-28R-201 N30150
17 September 1994 · Fort Bragg, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 17 September 1994 at about 01:20 local time, a Piper PA-28R-201 registered N30150, operated by Sundance Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Fort Bragg, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fort Bragg, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Fort Bragg Airport (8Q3)
- Coordinates
- 39.4904, -123.7401
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201
- Registration
- N30150
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Sundance Flying Club
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → San Carlos
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX94LA366
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to adequately anticipate and compensate for the existing crosswind/windshear conditions during the takeoff initial climb.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TREES AFTER AN IN-FLIGHT LOSS OF CONTROL DURING THE TAKEOFF CLIMB. THE PILOT SAID THE AIRPLANE STALLED ABOUT 3/4 MILE FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE STALL WARNING SOUNDED AT 80 KNOTS AS THE PILOT REACHED FOR THE LANDING GEAR LEVER. THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT WING DROPPED TO A 10- DEGREE ANGLE OF BANK, FOLLOWED BY A 60-DEGREE RIGHT ROLL. THE AIRPLANE THEN SETTLED AND COLLIDED WITH TREES IN A 30-DEGREE RIGHT BANK. THE AIRPORT IS LOCATED IN A CLEAR AREA SURROUNDED BY TALL TREES. THE PILOT REPORTED ENCOUNTERING AN OFFSHORE BREEZE FROM HIS RIGHT ONCE THE AIRPLANE CLEARED THE TOPS OF THE TREES. ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT QUANTIFY THE WIND SPEED, HE DID STATE THAT THE WINDS ON THE AIRPORT SURFACE WERE CALM, WHILE THE LOW LEVEL CLOUDS WERE MOVING VERY FAST AT THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF THE TREE LINE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-180 | Vine Grove, Kentucky, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201T | Lockwood, West Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Oakland, Maryland, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Dec 1994 | Piper PA-28R-180 | Groveland, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 10 Apr 1994 | Piper PA-28R-200 | River Ranch, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 1,342 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 1994 | Corley LANCAIR | Ramona, California, United States | Ronald W. Corley | Fatal | 2 |