Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Avalon, California, August 10, 2000
On August 10, 2000 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N200EG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avalon, California (Avalon airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate compensation for the downdraft condition and subsequent failure to maintain proper glide path. A factor in the accident was the upsloping runway and nature of the terrain around the runway, which presented an optical illusion and lead the pilot to believe he was high.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 2000 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Avalon, California · Avalon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N200EG · no longer on the register · serial 28-7435284
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the 10-knot crosswind was 45 degrees off the runway heading, and that the approach seemed normal using the VASI as a glide slope guide. The airport is on top of a mountain with three sides that are bordered by steeply down sloping terrain. As he flew over the cliff on short final approach to runway 22 he encountered a downdraft, which caused him to lose 30 feet of altitude. He applied full power and pitched up but was unable to prevent contact with the weeded area short of the runway. The first 2,000 feet of runway 22 slopes up, with the remainder level.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 281 hours in all; 94 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 225 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,870 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 11, 1999; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: AVX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 190°F (88°C), dew point 113°F (45°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from AVX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.