Piper PA-28-161 accident near Woodside, California, February 1, 1985
On February 1, 1985 at about 8:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8345Y, was destroyed in an accident near Woodside, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 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
- February 1, 1985 · about 8:00 am local time
- Place
- Woodside, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8345Y · no longer on the register · serial 28-8116166
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED SAN CARLOS FOR A 12 NM X-COUNTRY TO HALF MOON BAY, CA, WITH A RETURN LEG TO SAN CARLOS. IT IS NOT KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THE FLT ARRIVED AT HALF MOON BAY. THE ACFT CRASHED IN REMOTE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN APRX 4 NM WEST OF THE WOODSIDE VOR WHICH IS LOCATED SOUTH OF THE SAN CARLOS ARPT. WITNESSES IN THE AREA STATED THAT THE TERRAIN WAS OBSCURED BY LOW CLOUDS AND RAIN ON THE EVENING OF THE ACCIDENT.
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: 104 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 25 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,911 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 15, 1985; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D36 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SQL San Carlos CA
- Destination: SQL San Carlos CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.