Piper PA-28-181 accident near Oakland, California, February 12, 1984
On February 12, 1984 at about 9:52 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N4304K, was destroyed in an accident near Oakland, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- February 12, 1984 · about 9:52 pm local time
- Place
- Oakland, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N4304K · no longer on the register · serial 8390063
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT LEFT THE TRAFFIC PATTERN WHERE THE WEATHER WAS VMC AND PROCEEDED NORTHBOUND INTO IMC WEATHER. THE PLT HAD JUST CHECKED OUT IN THIS ACFT. THE FIELD ELEVATION OF DEPARTURE IS 47 FT MSL. THIRTEEN MILES NORTH THE TERRAIN WAS MOUNTAINOUS AND THE ACFT COLLIDES WITH RISING TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF 1575 FT MSL IN WEATHER DESCRIBED AS 'ZERO-ZERO'BY GROUND WITNESSES. THE ACFT IMPACTED TREES 6O FT AGL BEFORE GROUND IMPACT.
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: 277 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 245 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 87 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWD at 9:06 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.