Piper PA-24-250 accident near Apple Valley, California, May 28, 1982
On May 28, 1982 at about 1:15 am local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6503P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Apple Valley, California. It was a personal 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1982 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Apple Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6503P · registry record · serial 24-1624
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A FLIGHT FROM SAINT GEORGE, UT TO IMPERIAL, GA, THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED FOG AS HE APPROACHED EL CAJON PASS, SOUTH OF APPLE VALLEY, CA. HE ATTEMPTED TO GO UNDER THE FOG BUT WAS UNABLE. HE REVERSED COURSE AND HEADED BACK TOWARD APPLE VALLEY. AS HE WAS PROCEEDING BACK TO APPLE VALLEY, THE ENGINE BEGAN LOSING POWER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DAMAGED DURING A LANDING ON LEVEL, ROUGH, DESERT TERRAIN. AFTER THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP, THE ENGINE WAS STILL RUNNING AND THE PILOT SHUT IT DOWN, REPORTEDLY, THE LEFT AND RIGHT FUEL TANKS HAD 10 AND 5 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING, RESPECTIVELY. A EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED NO DISCREPANCIES.
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: 6,000 hours in all; 4,200 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,574 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Saint George UT at 3:00 pm
- Destination: Imperial CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 135° at 35 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 LAX82DA198.