Piper PA-28-180 accident near Santa Barbara, California, February 2, 2000
On February 2, 2000, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N32258, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Barbara, California (Santa Barbara airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The dual student's loss of directional control and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 2, 2000
- Place
- Santa Barbara, California · Santa Barbara · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N32258 · registry record · serial 28-7505043
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that they were planning to practice touch-and go landings. The student pilot had already performed one touch-and-go, which the flight instructor described as 'normal.' According to the flight instructor, during the accident sequence, the airplane had already touched down when it suddenly veered off to the left side of the runway. He said he took control of the airplane, but before he could regain directional control, it struck a series of three taxiway signs, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and collapsing the left landing gear.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,160 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 90 in the last 30 days; 1,060 as pilot in command; 780 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,116 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 9, 1994; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Spitfire Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SBA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15L, 4,179 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from KSB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.