Piper PA-28-140 N7163R
15 March 1997 · Santa Barbara, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 March 1997 at about 18:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N7163R was involved in an accident near Santa Barbara, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Santa Barbara, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Santa Barbara Muni (SBA)
- Coordinates
- 34.4100, -119.7006
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140
- Registration
- N7163R
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Petaluma → Baja
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97LA128
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in loss of engine power, due to fuel exhaustion. His psychological condition was a related factor.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to an FAA inspector, an aircraft entered Santa Barbara's Class C airspace without authorization or communication from the control tower and proceeded to over-fly the airport. Subsequently, it crashed 3 miles east of the airport. A sheriff's deputy responded to the scene of the accident and reported that the pilot had requested in-flight refueling from the control tower. The sheriff's deputy also stated that the pilot was incoherent. The pilot was then involuntarily admitted for psychiatric observation. A subpoena was issued for the evaluation and discharge summary of the pilot. The attending psychiatrist reported that the pilot had a bipolar disorder. The pilot did not possess an FAA pilot certificate. He did, however, possess a third-class medical, issued on September 22, 1992, but it had been expired for 3 1/2 years at the time of the accident. The FAA inspector reported that no fuel was found onboard or in the vicinity of the wreckage, and that no preexisting anomalies were found.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Feb 1997 | Piper PA-28 | Mulege, Mexico | Aabas Flying Club | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 1997 | Piper PA-28-160 | Pickens, South Carolina, United States | Chester D. Maynard | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1997 | Piper PA-28 | Nelson, Canada | California Planners and Consul | Fatal | 4 |
| 27 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-28-140 | Leadville, Colorado, United States | Michael S. Luther | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Piper PA-28-181 | Leadore, Idaho, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 14 Mar 1997 | Piper PA-28-161 | Sanford, Maine, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1997 | Airbus A300 B4-203 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Pan American World Airways, In | No injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 1997 | Bell UH-1H | Tahoe City, California, United States | Usda / Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Cessna 152 | Julian, California, United States | Plus One Flyers, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Oct 1997 | Schweizer 2-32 | Warner Springs, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7ECA | Tracy, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Oct 1997 | Extra Flugzeugbau EA-300 | Castaic, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |