Piper PA-28-181 accident near El Cajon, California, June 8, 1983
On June 8, 1983 at about 9:53 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8318T, was destroyed in an accident near El Cajon, California (Montgomery airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- June 8, 1983 · about 9:53 pm local time
- Place
- El Cajon, California · Montgomery · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8318T · no longer on the register · serial 28-8190132
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS FIRST WX BRIEFED AT 0916 FOR A FLT TO CATALINA ISLAND & ON TO SAN JOSE. VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. SUBSEQUENTLY THE PLT CALLED FSS FOUR MORE TIMES, THE FINAL CALL AT 1402 DURING WHICH HE REQUESTED & RECEIVED THE WX FOR MONTGOMERY & GILLESPIE ARPT. BOTH WERE STILL BELOW VFR. AT 1443 THE PLT CONTACTED THE TOWER & RECEIVED A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE & THE ACFT DEPARTED AT 1449. ABOUT 2 MIN LATER THE PLT WAS INFORMED THAT HE WAS IN NAS MIRAMAR'S AIRSPACE, AT WHICH TIME HE STATED HE WOULD LIKE TO RETURN TO THE ARPT. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN ABOUT 10 FT BELOW THE NORTH PEAK OF FORTUNA MOUNTAIN.
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: 321 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 274 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,011 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 26, 1983; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: S G Flight Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MYF San Diego CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 3,399 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded at 800 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:48 pm from MYF, 5 miles away
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.