Piper PA-32R-301T N4328B
14 December 2001 · Groveland, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 December 2001 at about 01:55 local time, a Piper PA-32R-301T registered N4328B, operated by Silvano Gai, was involved in an accident near Groveland, California, United States. 3 people were 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 01:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Groveland, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Pine Mountain Lake (Q68)
- Coordinates
- 37.8617, -120.1778
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301T
- Registration
- N4328B
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Silvano Gai
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Jose → Groveland
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX02LA048
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot's collision with an unobserved animal that entered the active runway during the dark nighttime when the pilot's visibility was diminished.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During the pilot's dark nighttime landing flare on runway 09 at the uncontrolled airport, an unobserved deer crossed the active runway in front of the approaching airplane. The airplane's undercarriage impacted the deer, and the landing gear collapsed. Thereafter, the pilot lost control of the airplane as it veered off the runway coming to rest oriented 180 degrees from the landing direction. The Federal Aviation Administration's "Airport/Facility Directory" contained the following remark for the airport: "Be alert deer on and in vicinity of arpt...."
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Sep 2001 | Piper PA-32R-301 | Byhalia, Mississippi, United States | Mark D. Valentino | Fatal | 2 |
| 9 Mar 2001 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Essex, California, United States | Jay Black | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Sep 2001 | Piper PA-32R-301T | Downers Grove, Illinois, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 2001 | Piper PA-32R-301T | Sandy Hook, New Jersey, United States | William L. Teubner | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2001 | Piper PA-32R-301 | Waco, Texas, United States | Michael L. Oatman | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jun 2001 | Piper PA-32R-301 | Greenwich, Connecticut, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jul 2001 | Hughes 269C | Tracy, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 2001 | Cessna R172K | Mammoth Lakes, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2001 | Piper PA-46-350P | Stockton, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 2001 | Jones RV-6A | Inyokern, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 2 May 2001 | Cessna 177B | Santa Maria, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 2001 | Cessna 140 | San Jose, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |