Piper PA-22-135 accident near Brownsville, California, June 14, 2002
On June 14, 2002 at about 5:02 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-135, registered N3329B, was destroyed in an accident near Brownsville, California (Brownsville Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed during a turn to reverse course back to the runway, resulting in a stall and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 14, 2002 · about 5:02 pm local time
- Place
- Brownsville, California · Brownsville Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-135 · all PA-22-135s on the register
- Registration
- N3329B · registry record · serial 22-2144
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted terrain during an attempted return to runway maneuver following a loss of engine power shortly after departing the airstrip. A witness observed the pilot takeoff and, when the airplane was about 800 feet above ground level, he heard the engine sputter. The airplane made a turn to the left, which was consistent with the pilot attempting to return back to the runway. The engine stopped completely, and the airplane's bank attitude increased. As the airplane continued in a turn, the airspeed became slow and the left wing appeared to lose lift. The airplane stalled into the ground, with the nose impacting the terrain vertically. Upon impact, a post impact fire consumed the airplane. The pilot's neighbor recalled talking to the pilot about 15 minutes prior to the accident flight. She stated that the pilot expressed to her that he was having trouble with the airplane, and that he could not seem to identify what the problem was. The pilot was reportedly performing the maintenance on the airplane. The airplane's engine had been running rough, which the pilot was attributing to be a result of water in the fuel system, or due to a carburetor problem. No mechanical discrepancies were found in the thermally destroyed wreckage.
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: 983 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,127 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Q21 Brownsville CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: Q21 Brownsville CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 2,326 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from OVE, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.