Piper PA-36-285 accident near Tipton, California, March 16, 1983
On March 16, 1983 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-36-285, registered N400HP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tipton, California. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 16, 1983 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Tipton, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-285 · all PA-36-285s on the register
- Registration
- N400HP · registry record · serial 36-7560090
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF, AT APRX 80 FT AGL, THE ENG BACKFIRED THEN LOST POWER. THE PLT CHOSE AN OPEN FIELD FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING WHILE TRYING TO DUMP THE LOAD. WHILE LANDING, THE ACFT BOUNCED, ROLLED ABOUT 600 FT, THEN HIT A DIRT BERM & SUBSEQUENTLY CAME TO REST IN A NOSE DOWN POSITION. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT AN EXHAUST STACK BRACKET HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE & ALLOWED THE EXHAUST GASES TO MELT THE P-LEADS TO THE MAGNETOS.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,471 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 2,325 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,625 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 9, 1982; 109 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720 AIB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from VIS, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.