Piper PA-31-325 accident near Orinda, California, April 4, 1988
On April 4, 1988 at about 2:06 am local time, a Piper PA-31-325, registered N6ET, was destroyed in an accident near Orinda, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- April 4, 1988 · about 2:06 am local time
- Place
- Orinda, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-325 · all PA-31-325s on the register
- Registration
- N6ET · registry record · serial 31-7612012
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE THE ACDNT, WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT CIRCLING IN A VALLEY BENEATH A LOW CLOUD LAYER & BELOW THE SURROUNDING HILLTOPS. THEY ESTIMATED THE CEILING WAS 400' OBSCURED. TWO WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT ENTERED CLOUDS BEFORE IT CRASHED. A 3RD WITNESS, WHO WAS A PLT, SAID THE ACFT WAS AT A VERY LOW ALT WHEN IT APCHD RISING/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN; HE SAID THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A STEEP CLIMBING TURN & STALLED AFTER MAKING 2 COMPLETE TURNS. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A NOSE LOW, LEFT WING DOWN ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE FAA HAD ISSUED THE PLT A SPECIAL 3RD CLASS MED CERT AFTER HE HAD QUINTUPLE HEART BYPASS SURGERY. HE WAS RPRTD TO HAVE GOTTEN 'QUITE ANGRY' BEFORE THE FLT, WHEN 2 PAXS WERE LATE. A PATHOLOGIST BELIEVED THE PLT'S DEATH MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO ARTERIOSCLEROTIC HEART DISEASE; HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT VERIFIED. THE PLT DID NOT HAVE AN INSTRUMENT RATING & NO RECORD OF A PREFLT WX BRIEFING WAS FOUND.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 18, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-F2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RDD Redding CA at 1:00 am
- Destination: SJC San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.