Piper PA34-200T accident near San Andreas, California, December 11, 1991
On December 11, 1991 at about 11:45 am local time, a Piper PA34-200T, registered N6522F, was destroyed in an accident near San Andreas, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE NONMULTIENGINE/INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT IN COMMAND TO ACCOMPLISH THE PROPER EMERGENCY PROCEDURE DURING A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S IMPROPER TRAINING, LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE, HEAVY FOG REPORTED IN THE ACCIDENT AREA AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT AND THE UNDETERMINED LOSS OF POWER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 11, 1991 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- San Andreas, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA34-200T · all PA34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N6522F · no longer on the register · serial 34-7770031
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A TWIN ENGINE PIPER PA 34-200T COLLIDED WITH TREES IN HILLY TERRAIN 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT AFTER TAKING OFF IN FOGGY CONDITIONS. THE NONMULTIENGINE/INSTRUMENT RATED CERTIFICATED PRIVATE PILOT REPORTED HE LOST POWER IN THE LEFT ENGINE AND DID NOT PERFORM THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES FOR THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE DID NOT REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION OF THE PILOT REVEALED THAT HIS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE HAD EXPIRED, HE DID NOT HAVE A AIRPLANE MULTI-ENGINE CLASS RATING, AN INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE RATING OR PROOF OF A CURRENT BIENNIAL FLIGHT REVIEW. REVIEW OF THE PILOT'S AIRMEN RECORDS, RETAINED BY THE FAA IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, REVEALED THREE PREVIOUS SUSPENSIONS OF THE PILOT'S PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS. THE MOST RECENT THIRD CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS ISSUED TO THE PILOT ON MAY 4, 1983, AND HAD EXPIRED.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 4,570 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: Q99 San Martin CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.