Piper PA-28-181 accident near Fort Bragg, California, February 7, 1986
On February 7, 1986 at about 6:03 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8338N, was destroyed in an accident near Fort Bragg, California (Mendocino County airport). 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
- February 7, 1986 · about 6:03 am local time
- Place
- Fort Bragg, California · Mendocino County · 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
- N8338N · no longer on the register · serial 28-8190169
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ARRIVING AT THE MENDOCINO COUNTY ARPT, AT ABOUT 1630 PST, THE PLT & PAX OBTAINED A CAR & WENT TO MENDOCINO FOR DINNER. DRG THE EVENING, THEY CONSUMED SVRL DRINKS & HAD A BOTTLE OF WINE WITH THEIR DINNER, THEN WENT BACK TO THE ARPT. ALTHO IT WAS A DARK NGT, THE PLT TOOK OFF (TWD THE OCEAN AT APRX 2200 PST) WITHOUT ACTIVATING THE RWY LGTS. AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT DEPARTED ON A SOUTHERLY HDG OVR AN AREA WITH 'VERY FEW GROUND LIGHTS.' SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CRASHED IN A REDWOOD FOREST ABOUT 1 MI SOUTH OF THE ARPT. AN INV REVEALED THAT THE INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED WHILE THE ACFT WAS DSCNDG IN A SHALLOW DIVE ON A WESTERLY HDG. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FND. A TOXICOLOGY CHECK INDICATED THE PLT HAD AN ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.204%. THE LAST ENTRY IN HIS LOG BOOK FOR A NGT FLT WAS DATED 5/15/83.
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: 265 hours in all; 265 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 220 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,755 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 6, 1985; 55 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lets Fly, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: 048 at 6:00 am
- Destination: STS Santa Rosa CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 5,250 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°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.
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.