Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Camarillo, California, November 13, 1989
On November 13, 1989 at about 5:40 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N2723R, was destroyed in an accident near Camarillo, California (Camarillo airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER IFR PROCEDURE BY THE PILOT, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN THE MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) FOR THAT SEGMENT OF THE VOR APPROACH. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, LOW CEILING, FOG, HAZE, THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, AND HIS PROBABLE SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 13, 1989 · about 5:40 am local time
- Place
- Camarillo, California · Camarillo · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N2723R · no longer on the register · serial PA-28R-35269
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG A NIGHT ARRIVAL, THE PLT CONTACTED NAS POINT MUGU APCH CTL & WAS CLRD FOR A VOR RWY 26 APCH. AS THE PLT CONTD THE APCH, THE ACFT VEERED RADICALLY OFF COURSE TO THE RIGHT & DSCNDD PREMATURELY. THE CTLR ISSUED A SAFETY ALERT & TOLD THE PLT TO TURN LEFT TO A HEADING OF 210 DEG & TO CLIMB & MAINT 2100 FT. THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT FAILED TO TAKE ADEQUATE CORRECTIVE ACTION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 1100 FT, AS IT WAS APCHG THE FINAL APCH FIX (FAF). MIN DSCNT ALT (MDA) ON THAT SEGMENT OF THE APCH WAS 2100 FT MSL. APRX 10 MI SW AT POINT MUGU (ELEV 12 FT), THE 2155 PST WX WAS IN PART: 1000 FT OVC, 6 MI VIS WITH FOG & HAZE. THE PLT HAD BEEN ISSUED AN INSTRUMENT RATING ON 4/28/89. SINCE THAT DATE, HE HAD LOGGED ONLY 5.5 HRS OF INSTRUMENT TIME & 4 INSTRUMENT APCHS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 380 hours in all; 320 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,792 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1989; 57 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 5:26 am
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 6,010 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 am from NTD, 10 miles away
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.
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.