Piper PA-28-181 accident near Vallejo, California, October 25, 1982
On October 25, 1982 at about 3:27 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N4583F, was destroyed in an accident near Vallejo, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- October 25, 1982 · about 3:27 am local time
- Place
- Vallejo, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N4583F · no longer on the register · serial 28-7790046
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT 1830, THE PLT RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING FOR A FLT FROM FAIR OAKS TO SAN JOSE, CA WITH A PASSENGER PICKUP STOP AT SACRAMENTO, CA. DURING THE BRIEFING, HE WAS TOLD THAT HE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT IF HE TRAVELED BELOW 4000 FT MSL & LEFT WITHIN THE NEXT HR. HE FLEW TO SACRAMENTO & AFTER A PASSENGER PICKUP, HE TOOK OFF AT 1956 FOR SAN JOSE. ABOUT 30 MIN LATER, THE ACFT CRASHED, 43 MI WEST SOUTHWEST OF SACRAMENTO, WHILE ON A NORTHEASTLY HEADING AT AN ELEVATION OF 600 FT MSL. THE CRASH SITE WAS LOCATED ON RISING TERRAIN IN FOOT HILLS, APRX 32 MI TO THE RIGHT (WEST) OF A STRAIGHT LINE NAVIGATIONAL ROUTE BETWEEN SACRAMENTO & SAN JOSE. LOCAL RESIDENTS HEARD THE ACFT & SAW A FIRE FROM THE CRASH. THEY REPORTED THAT THE WX WAS POOR WITH LOW CLOUDS, RAIN, GUSTY WINDS & LIGHTNING. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THAT THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A 60 TO 90 DEG RIGHT WING DOWN, SLIGHTLY NOSE LOW, ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT,MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND.
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: 273 hours in all; 273 in this make and model; 249 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,172 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SAC Sacramento CA at 8:00 pm
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.