Piper PA-32R accident near Brownsville, California, March 21, 1982
On March 21, 1982 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R, registered N38795, was destroyed in an accident near Brownsville, California (Brownsville airport). 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 1982 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Brownsville, California · Brownsville
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R · all PA-32Rs on the register
- Registration
- N38795 · no longer on the register · serial 32RT180473
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT TOUCHDOWN UNTIL HALFWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY AND HE THEN APPLIED TOO MUCH LEFT BRAKE RESULTING IN THE AIRCRAFT RUNNING OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. BEFORE COMING TO A STOP THE LEFT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED.
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: 289 hours in all; 169 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days; 178 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,318 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Napa CA at 9:30 am
- Destination: Brownsville CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 6, 2,700 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 165°F (74°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.