Piper PA-28-161 N82857
21 September 1991 · Placerville, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 21 September 1991 at about 18:36 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N82857, operated by Thom, Darrell D., was involved in an accident near Placerville, California, United States. 5 people were on board and one died, 4 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:36
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Placerville, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Swansboro (61Q)
- Coordinates
- 38.7292, -120.8004
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161
- Registration
- N82857
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Thom, Darrell D.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Placerville
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91FA401
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF AT A HIGH DENSITY AIRPORT WITH THE AIRPLANE EXCEEDING ITS MAXIMUM GROSS TAKEOFF WEIGHT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S USE OF ILLEGAL DRUGS AND ABUSE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE FOUR PLACE AIRPLANE WAS LOADED WITH FIVE OCCUPANTS AND WAS DEPARTING A HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE AIRPORT EN ROUTE TO ANOTHER HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE AIRPORT FOR REFUELING. THE AIRPLANE EXCEEDED ITS MAXIMUM TAKEOFF GROSS WEIGHT. POSITIVE RESULTS WERE OBTAINED DURING THE TOXICOLOGIAL ANALYSIS ROUTINE ALCOHOL AND DRUG TESTS. THE PILOT TESTED POSITIVE FOR BENZOYLECGONINE, PHENDIMETRAZINE, AND PHENMETRAZINE. ACCORDING TO FORENSIC TOXICOLOGISTS, BENZOYLECGONINE IS A METABOLITE OF COCAINE. PHENDIMETRAZINE IS A CHEMICAL FOUND IN PRESCRIPTION APPETITE SUPPRESSANTS AND PHENMETRAZINE IS THE METABOLITE OF PHENDIMETRAZINE. THE FORENSIC TOXICOLOGIST ALSO INDICATED THE QUANTITIES OF PHENDIMETRAZINE AND PHENMETRAZINE FOUND IN THE PILOT'S SYSTEM WERE ELEVATED AND EXCEEDED THERAPEUTIC LEVELS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Hibbing, Minnesota, United States | WM. & Audrey Svigel | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 1991 | Piper PA-28 | Berryville, Arkansas, United States | Snider, Richard D. | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 1991 | Piper PA-28-161 | Greeley, Colorado, United States | P.c. Flyers | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-28-180 | Old Bridge, New Jersey, United States | Martin Sade | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Titusville, Florida, United States | Achord, Marvin L. | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Yuma, Colorado, United States | Aero Training of the Rockies | No injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |