Piper PA-28-181 N8338N

Summary

On 7 February 1986 at about 06:03 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N8338N, operated by Lets Fly, Inc., was involved in an accident near Fort Bragg, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

7 February 1986 at 06:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Bragg, California, United States

Nearest airport

Mendocino County

Coordinates

39.4909, -123.7393

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N8338N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Lets Fly, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Santa Rosa

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX86FA107

4 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

AFTER ARRIVING AT THE MENDOCINO COUNTY ARPT, AT ABOUT 1630 PST, THE PLT & PAX OBTAINED A CAR & WENT TO MENDOCINO FOR DINNER. DRG THE EVENING, THEY CONSUMED SVRL DRINKS & HAD A BOTTLE OF WINE WITH THEIR DINNER, THEN WENT BACK TO THE ARPT. ALTHO IT WAS A DARK NGT, THE PLT TOOK OFF (TWD THE OCEAN AT APRX 2200 PST) WITHOUT ACTIVATING THE RWY LGTS. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT DEPARTED ON A SOUTHERLY HDG OVR AN AREA WITH 'VERY FEW GROUND LIGHTS.' SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CRASHED IN A REDWOOD FOREST ABOUT 1 MI SOUTH OF THE ARPT. AN INV REVEALED THAT THE INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED WHILE THE ACFT WAS DSCNDG IN A SHALLOW DIVE ON A WESTERLY HDG. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK INDICATED THE PLT HAD AN ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.204%. THE LAST ENTRY IN HIS LOG BOOK FOR A NGT FLT WAS DATED 5/15/83.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.