Piper PA-31-350 accident near Baker, California, June 2, 1984
On June 2, 1984 at about 7:00 am local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N6GW, was destroyed in an accident near Baker, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 2, 1984 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- Baker, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N6GW · no longer on the register · serial 31-7405139
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASHED & BURNED ON A ROUGH LAVA BED. THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 1 MI NORTHEAST OF A ROAD WHERE DRUG SMUGGLING ACFT HAD BEEN KNOWN TO LAND IN THE PAST. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT COCAINE HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE WRECKAGE HAD BEEN CAMOUFLAGED BY PLACING LAVA ROCKS ON THE SHINY PIECES OF METAL. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE PLANE HAD CRASHED IN A LEFT WING LOW ATTITUDE WHILE IN A LANDING CONFIGURATION. NO PREIMPACT/MECHANICAL PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 2930 FT. THE ACFT WRECKAGE WAS DISCOVERED ON 6/2/84. THE ACTUAL TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.