Piper PA-24-260 accident near Sonoma, California, October 13, 1984
On October 13, 1984 at about 1:05 am local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N9493P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sonoma, California (Sonoma airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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 accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 1984 · about 1:05 am local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Sonoma, California · Sonoma · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N9493P · registry record · serial 24-5010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT MADE INADVERTANT GEAR UP LANDING. PLT STATED HE FORGOT TO LOWER THE GEAR WHEN HIS ATTENTION WAS DIVERTED TO THE CABIN DOOR WHICH CAME OPEN IN-FLIGHT.
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: 172 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 117 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,560 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O69 Petaluma CA
- Destination: 005 Davis CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 2,900 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9493P on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-24 Comanche 2,428 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,838 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 4,222 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sonoma Valley Airport · nearest airport
- Petaluma Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,727 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX85LA016.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.