Piper PA-28-180 accident near Jamestown, California, February 11, 1995
On February 11, 1995 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered CFCNW, was destroyed in an accident near Jamestown, California. 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
the pilot's intentional flight into IMC conditions and subsequent in-flight loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 11, 1995 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Jamestown, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- CFCNW · no longer on the register · serial 28-4685
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE DAY PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT ON A HIGHWAY DUE TO A LOW FUEL STATE. THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT, HE BOUGHT 10 GALLONS OF FUEL AND WAS GOING TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT TO A NEARBY AIRPORT. ACCORDING TO HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICERS ON THE SITE, WHEN THE PILOT TOOK OFF FROM THE HIGHWAY, THE PREVAILING VISIBILITY OF LESS THAN 1,500 FEET. THE PILOT CIRCLED THE ACCIDENT AREA TWO TIMES BEFORE HE CRASHED ABOUT 0.3 MILE WEST OF THE DEPARTURE AREA. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTED THE ENGINE SOUND ABRUPTLY CUT-OUT FOR ABOUT TWO SECONDS AND THEN WENT TO A HIGH- POWER ENGINE SOUND. THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ABOUT 100 FEET NORTH OF SOME TELEPHONE WIRES. THE POSTACCIDENT WRECKAGE EXAMINATION DISCLOSED EVIDENCE OF HIGH POWER AT IMPACT AND NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PREEXISTING MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES.
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: foreign licence, private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,673 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 1994; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,399 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CA at 7:44 pm
- Destination: O22 Columbia CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- 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.