Piper PA-28RT-201 accident near Concord, California, October 8, 1988
On October 8, 1988 at about 10:38 pm local time, a Piper PA-28RT-201, registered N8162T, was destroyed in an accident near Concord, California (Concord Buchanan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 8, 1988 · about 10:38 pm local time
- Place
- Concord, California · Concord Buchanan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28RT-201 PA-28RT-20 · all PA-28RT-201s on the register
- Registration
- N8162T · registry record · serial 28R8018043
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE LANDING ROLL HE LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND VEERED LEFT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE LEFT RUDDER WAS STUCK IN A FULLY DEFLECTED POSITION AND HIS ATTEMPT TO ADD RIGHT RUDDER WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE PILOT THEN APPLIED FULL POWER BUT, BEFORE BECOMING AIRBORNE, THE AIRPLANE WENT OFF THE RUNWAY AND CROSSED A GRASS DIVIDER AND TAXIWAY. THE AIRPLANE THEN ENTERED A RAMP AREA WHERE IT COLLIDED WITH AN UNOCCUPIED CESSNA 172. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE BY FAA INSPECTORS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A MALFUNCTION.
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: 2,103 hours in all; 393 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,563 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 905 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1988; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: APC Napa CA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: CCR Concord CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 2,800 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.