Piper PA-32-300 accident near Santa Maria, California, October 12, 1988
On October 12, 1988 at about 5:07 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N6198H, was destroyed in an accident near Santa Maria, California (Santa Maria airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT FAILED TO FOLLOW THE CORRECT I.F.R. PROCEDURES WHEREAS HE DESCENDED BELOW THE FINAL APPROACH FIX ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1988 · about 5:07 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Maria, California · Santa Maria · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N6198H · registry record · serial 32-780036
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARRIVAL, THE PLT WAS PROVIDED VECTORS FOR A LOCALIZER/DME BACKCOURSE-ALPHA APCH TO RWY 30. VECTORS WERE PROVIDED TO INTERCEPT THE LOCALIZER BEFORE REACHING THE FINAL APCH FIX (CAMCO), WHICH WAS 6 MI FROM THE RWY. ALSO, THE PLT WAS INSTRUCTED TO MAINTAIN 3500' UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON THE LOCALIZER. AT 1003:52, HE WAS ADZD THAT RADAR SVC WAS TERMINATED &TO CONTACT THE TOWER. AT 1006, HE CONTACTED THE TOWER & ACKNOWLEDGED INSTRUCTIONS TO RPRT AT CAMCO, THEN THERE WAS NO FURTHER COMMUNICATION WITH THE ACFT. SEARCH PROCEDURES WERE INITIATED & THE ACFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FOUND WHERE IT HAD CRASHED ABT 1/2 MI SW OF CAMCO AT AN ELEVATION OF APRX 1326'. MIN ALTITUDE FOR THE APCH WAS 3000' UNTIL PASSING CAMCO, THEN THE MIN ALTITUDE WAS 1680' UNTIL REACHING 'PATER' WHICH WAS 2.2 MI FROM THE RWY. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. THE PILOT HAD LOGGED 5.4 ACTUAL INSTRUMENT HOURS AND 6 INSTRUMENT APPROACHES IN THE PRECEDING 6 MOS. HIS LOG DID NOT RECORD ANY EXPERIENCE WITH BACKCOURSE APPROACHES.
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: 1,724 hours in all; 345 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,608 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 25, 1989; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L18 Fallbrook CA at 3:33 pm
- Destination: SMX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 30, 6,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:20 pm from SMX, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.