Piper PA-28-181 accident near Oxnard, California, May 20, 2005
On May 20, 2005 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8460N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oxnard, California (Oxnard airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate clearance from the building. The pilot's diverted attention was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 2005 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Oxnard, California · Oxnard · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8460N · no longer on the register · serial 28-8290055
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's left wing impacted a building while the pilot was taxiing toward a transient parking area following an uneventful landing. When the pilot commenced a right turn and attempted to proceed between parked airplanes and a building, he diverted his attention toward the parked airplanes and misjudged his clearance from the building.
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: 114 hours in all; 114 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 66 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POC La Verne CA
- Destination: OXR Oxnard CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 pm from OXR
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.