Piper PA-32-300 accident near Gualala, California, January 27, 1989
On January 27, 1989 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N4235R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gualala, California (Gualala airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT MISJUDGED THE ALTITUDE AND DISTANCE TO THE RUNWAY AND SUBSEQUENTLY DID NOT ATTAIN THE PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 1989 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gualala, California · Gualala · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4235R · registry record · serial 32-40600
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A LANDING, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. IT THEN BOUNCED ONTO THE RUNWAY, WENT OFF THE LEFT SIDE & CAME TO REST IN THE DIRT. THE ACFT WAS DAMAGED DURING THE OCCURRENCE, BUT NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION 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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 660 hours in all; 268 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 552 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,500 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 19, 1988; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: UKI Ukiah CA at 5:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 2,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:40 pm from UKI
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.
Other NTSB records under N4235R 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.