Piper PA-28R-201 accident near Gorman, California, December 27, 1986
On December 27, 1986 at about 3:15 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-201, registered N50U, was destroyed in an accident near Gorman, California. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- December 27, 1986 · about 3:15 am local time
- Place
- Gorman, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201s on the register
- Registration
- N50U · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7737092
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED INTO MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN DURING A NIGHT CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. THE SURVIVING PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS ATTENDING TO PAPERWORK AND WHEN HE LOOKED UP HE TURNED ON THE LANDING LIGHT IN TIME TO SEE TREES JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE RIGHT SEAT PILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRCRAFT AT 8,500 FEET WHEN HE LAST NOTICED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT AN ELEVATION OF 6,500 FEET.
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: 2,080 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,171 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 18, 1986; 244 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Gold Coast Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HHR Hawthorne CA at 2:51 am
- Destination: BFL Bakerfield CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
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.