Piper PA-30 accident near Garberville, California, December 20, 1984
On December 20, 1984, a Piper PA-30, registered N8780Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Garberville, California (Garberville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 1984
- Place
- Garberville, California · Garberville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N8780Y · registry record · serial 30-1936
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT REPORTED THAT ON HIS FIRST ATTEMPT TO LAND HE WAS 'TOO HIGH' SO HE MADE A GO-AROUND. ON THE SECOND APCH TO THE 3050 FT RWY, HE WAS FLYING AT 110 MPH. HE LANDED LONG, APPLIED BRAKES & SKIDDED OFF THE DEPT END OF THE RWY. THE LT TIRE BLEW-OUT, DIRECTIONAL WAS LOST, THE GEAR COLLAPSED & THE LT WING WAS BENT AS THE ACFT DECELERATED TO A STOP.
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: 1,210 hours in all; 261 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,052 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 15, 1984; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,725 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EKA Eureka CA
- Destination: 016 Garberville CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,050 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:15 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX85LA061.