Piper PA 28-140 accident near Lake Genevieve, California, September 21, 1983
On September 21, 1983 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA 28-140, registered N4297T, was destroyed in an accident near Lake Genevieve, California (Lake Tahoe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- September 21, 1983 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Genevieve, California · Lake Tahoe
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 28-140 · all PA 28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N4297T · no longer on the register · serial 28-7225126
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT WHILE FLYING IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE PILOT LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT & IT CRASHED. THE PILOT WAS STUDENT PILOT RATED ONLY & HAD NOT BEEN ENDORSED FOR THIS FLIGHT. HE ALSO WAS CARRYING A PASSENGER WHO SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES DURING THE CRASH.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 47 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 25 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,854 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 7, 1983; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320E3D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TVL Lake Tahoe CA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: STS Santa Rosa CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 8,544 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 18,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:14 pm from SAC1, 70 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.