Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Tracy, California, January 12, 1984
On January 12, 1984 at about 3:42 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N5054T, was destroyed in an accident near Tracy, California (Tracy Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- January 12, 1984 · about 3:42 pm local time
- Place
- Tracy, California · Tracy Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N5054T · registry record · serial 28R7235185
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT DEPARTED UNDER INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, WITH VISIBILITY RESTRICTED TO ONE QUARTER MILE BY FOG. THE CEILING WAS OBSCURED. AFTER DEPARTURE WITNESSES HEARD THE AIRCRAFT MAKE WHAT APPEARED TO BE A LEFT TURN. NEXT THEY HEARD THE ENGINE SOUND INCREASE FOLLOWED BY A LOUD THUD. THE ACFT WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD IMPACTED AN EMBANKMENT, NEXT TO A ROAD ON RELATIVELY LEVEL TERRAIN, APPROXIMATELY 1/8 MI FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF RWY 25. NO EYEWITNESSES TO THE ACCIDENT COULD BE LOCATED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE PLT HAD CALLED THE SACRAMENTO FSS BY TELEPHONE. AT 0771, HE OBTAINED AN IFR CLEARANCE WITH A VOID TIME OF 0730. THERE WERE NO FURTHER COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN THE PLT & THE FSS. BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE ACFT WAS PARKED ABOUT 2 MIN TAXI TIME FROM RWY 25. ACCORDING TO THE FAA INSTRUMENT FLYING HANDBOOK, AC 61-27B, 5 MIN IS NEEDED FOR GYRO INSTRUMENTS TO BE OPERATIONAL. HOWEVER, THE ACTUAL TIME ALLOWED BY THE PLT (FOR THE INSTRUMENTS TO BECOME OPERATIONAL) IS NOT KNOWN.
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: 774 hours in all; 22 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 732 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,079 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 8, 1983; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.