Piper PA-38-112 accident near Sonoma, California, March 11, 1984
On March 11, 1984 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N23882, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sonoma, California (Sonoma Skypark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 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 11, 1984 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Sonoma, California · Sonoma Skypark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N23882 · no longer on the register · serial 38-79A1060
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT HAD PREVIOUSLY SOLOED ON 12/4/83 & HAD ACCUMULATED ABOUT 30 HRS OF TOTAL TIME OF WHICH 3.7 HRS WERE SOLO. JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLT, THE STUDENT'S INSTRUCTOR HAD FLOWN WITH HIM & HE HAD COMPLETED 4 LANDINGS ON THAT FLT. THE STUDENT THEN WENT ON A SOLO FLT TO MAKE 3 MORE LANDINGS. AFTER THE LAST LANDING (A TOUCH-&-GO), HE RETRACTED THE FLAPS & ADDED POWER TO TAKEOFF AGAIN. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME, THE ACFT VEERED LEFT, WENT OFF THE RWY & SUBSEQUENTLY HIT A DITCH & WAS DAMAGED.
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: student
- Flight time: 30 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 4 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,090 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 11, 1983; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.