Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Galt, California, April 25, 2004
On April 25, 2004 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N169JP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Galt, California (Franklin Field 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot under instruction's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed on final and misjudged flare, which resulted in stall/mush and hard landing. The certified flight instructor's inadequate supervision and failure to initiate timely remedial action were also causal.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 2004 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Galt, California · Franklin Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N169JP · registry record · serial 28R-7235262
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot under instruction was slow on short final, flared, stalled, and made a hard landing. The pilot under instruction and certified flight instructor had made several uneventful landings. Both pilots reported that on the accident landing approach the pilot under instruction maintained a slow airspeed and misjudged the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing. Both pilots indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane or engine prior to the hard landing.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 395 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days; 255 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-CIC (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ahart Aviation Services
The flight
- Departed from: LVK Livermore CA
- Destination: Q53 Galt CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX04CA215.