Piper PA-31-350 incident near Redding, California, January 20, 1984
On January 20, 1984 at about 2:43 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N35479, suffered minor damage in an incident near Redding, California (Redding Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. 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 incident. 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 20, 1984 · about 2:43 pm local time
- Place
- Redding, California · Redding Municipal · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N35479 · no longer on the register · serial 31-8052024
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE TAXIING TO TAKEOFF, SMOKE WAS NOTED IN THE COCKPIT AREA, SHORTLY AFTER THE PLT ACTIVATED THE HEATER IGNITION SWITCH. THE PLT IMMEDIATELY STOPPED & SECURED THE ACFT & ASSISTED THE PASSENGERS IN DEPLANING. AN EXAM OF THE JANITROL HEATER, MODEL B4050, REVEALED THE AFT SECTION OF THE TUBE ASSEMBLY HAD CRACKED; THE INNER TUBE ASSEMBLY WAS CORRODED & A B-NUT WAS 'FINGER TIGHT.' ALSO, THERE WAS FIRE DAMAGE IN THE NOSE SECTION OF THE ACFT, NEAR THE HEATER. THE DIRECTOR OF MAINTENANCE SAID THAT AD-82-07-03, INSPECTION OF THE HEATER TUBE ASSEMBLY, WAS COMPLIED WITH ON 11/14/83.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,600 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,431 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 1, 1984; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,800 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Afs Airlines
The flight
- Destination: AVB Arcata CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from RDD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N35479 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.