Piper PA32-300 accident near Weaverville, California, April 9, 1983
On April 9, 1983 at about 3:40 am local time, a Piper PA32-300, registered N15351, was destroyed in an accident near Weaverville, California (Lonnie Pool airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. 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
- April 9, 1983 · about 3:40 am local time
- Place
- Weaverville, California · Lonnie Pool · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32-300 · all PA32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N15351 · no longer on the register · serial 7340039
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING FLOWN TO A UNI-DIRECTIONAL ARPT WITH AN INSTRUCTOR PLT (CFI) IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT & A STUDENT PLT/PROSPECTIVE BUYER IN THE LEFT FRONT SEAT. THE RWY ELEVATION WAS 2230 FT MSL AT THE SOUTH END & 2350 FT AT THE NORTH END. NORTH OF THE RWY, THE TERRAIN CONTINUED TO RISE & THE APPROACH END OF RWY 18 WAS OBSTRUCTED BY TREES UP TO 100 FT TALL. LANDINGS WERE PROHIBITED ON RWY 18 & ALL NIGHT OPERATIONS WERE PROHIBITED TO TRANSIENT PLTS. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR (ACFT), THE CFI SAID HE WAS AWARE OF THE OBSTRUCTIONS & LIMITATIONS & WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE ARPT. A WITNESS OBSERVED THE ACFT TOUCH DOWN AT NIGHT APRX 1/4 OF THE WAY DOWN THE RWY, THEN BOUNCE. THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM HIS VIEW, BUT SEVERAL WITNESSES HEARD WHAT THEY DESCRIBED AS APPLICATION OF FULL POWER. DURING A GO-AROUND, THE ACFT HIT THE TOPS OF THE TREES NEAR THE NORTH END OF THE RWY, THEN CRASHED & BURNED. ONE OF THE PASSENGERS WAS A PILOT & WAS A RESIDENT OF WEAVERVILLE, CA.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1983; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 061 Cameron Park CA
- Destination: 054 Weaverville CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 3,380 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 am from RDD, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.