Piper PA-30 accident near Oceanside, California, October 10, 1986
On October 10, 1986 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-30, registered N7982Y, was destroyed in an accident near Oceanside, California. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 1986 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Oceanside, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N7982Y · no longer on the register · serial 30-1083
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A X-COUNTRY FLT, THE PLT STATED, THAT JUST SOUTH OF LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL ARPT, THE ACFT'S RIGHT ENGINE WAS RUNNING ROUGH. AT THE SAME TIME PWR IN THE LEFT ENGINE BEGAN DECREASING, THEN THE PROP AUTOMATICALLY FEATHERED. THE PLT ATTEMPTED A RE-START WITH NO SUCCESS. UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT, THE PLT DITCHED THE ACFT APRX 2 MILES OFF SHORE. POST ACCIDENT EXAM REVEALED THE LEFT ENGINE OIL DRAIN PLUG WAS MISSING. THE OIL DRAIN PLUG ON THE RIGHT ENG WAS FOUND LOOSE AND THE QUICK DRAIN WAS OPEN AND UNLOCKED. NEITHER ENGINE SHOWED EVIDENCE OF HEAT DAMAGE.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,920 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 11, 1986; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,725 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: SAN San Diego CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N7982Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.