Piper PA-28-181 accident near El Cajon, California, January 3, 1986
On January 3, 1986 at about 2:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N4318V, was destroyed in an accident near El Cajon, California (Gillespie Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- January 3, 1986 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- El Cajon, California · Gillespie Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N4318V · no longer on the register · serial 28-8490013
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARRIVAL AT AN ARPT NEAR HIS HOME, THE PLT CONTACTED APCH CONTROL (CTL) & ASKED THE CTLR FOR ASSISTANCE IN LANDING & SAID THAT THE WX LOOKED A LITTLE FOGGY. THE CTLR INFORMED THE PLT OF THE ACFT'S POSITION IN RELATION TO THE ARPT. AS THE ACFT WAS DSCNDG TWD THE ARPT, THE PLT RPRTD THAT HE HAD ENTERED FOG AT ABOUT 4000' MSL. THE CTLR INSTRUCTED THE PLT TO CLIMB & MAINTAIN VFR, THEN ASKED IF THE PLT WOULD LIKE A LOCALIZER D APCH TO THE ARPT. ALTHO HE WAS NOT CERTIFIED FORINSTRUMENT FLT, THE PLT ACCEPTED THE APCH. THE ARPT WX AT THAT TIME WAS RPRTD (IN PART) AS: 1500' SCATTERED, VIS 7 MI. VECTORS WERE PROVIDED FOR THE APCH. AS THE ACFT WAS APCHG THE OUTER MARKER, THE PLT WAS INSTRUCTED TO CHANGE TO TOWER FREQ. HE ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT THERE WAS NO FURTHER TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE ACFT & RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT CRASHED APRX 5 MI EAST OF THE ARPT, ON A HDG OF 050 DEG, IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WERE FOUND. THE 1746 PST SAN DIEGO WX WAS, IN PART: 2000' BROKEN, VIS 5 MI WITH HAZE.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 723 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 15, 1985; 83 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Golden State Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: PGA Page AZ
- Destination: SEE El Cajon CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27R, 5,341 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:46 am from SEE, 5 miles away
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.
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.