Piper PA-28-180 accident near Santa Paula, California, July 24, 1995
On July 24, 1995 at about 2:20 am local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N5388L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Paula, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to perform preflight fuel consumption calculations, and his failure to refuel the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1995 · about 2:20 am local time
- Place
- Santa Paula, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5388L · no longer on the register · serial 28-4696
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS EN ROUTE BACK TO HIS ORIGIN AIRPORT ON A ROUND ROBIN CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT AS HE NEARED THE DESTINATION. HE TOLD RESPONDING POLICE OFFICERS THAT HE RAN OUT OF GAS AND HAD TO LAND IN THE RIVERBED. ONLY RESIDUAL FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE AIRCRAFT FUEL TANKS BY THE OFFICERS. IN A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW, THE PILOT STATED THAT HE ORIGINALLY DID THE FLIGHT PLANING FOR THIS FLIGHT IN A CESSNA 172. HE STATED THAT HE HAD NEVER FLOWN THE PIPER PA28 BEFORE THIS FLIGHT. WHEN HE ARRIVED AT THE OPERATOR'S FBO, HE WAS TOLD THAT THE CESSNA 172 WAS UNAVAILABLE AND HE WAS OFFERED THE PIPER INSTEAD. THE PILOT SAID HE 'SHOULD HAVE REPLANNED THE FLIGHT, BUT WAS IN A HURRY.' HE ASSUMED THAT THE PIPER AND THE CESSNA HAD SIMILAR FUEL CONSUMPTION RATES. THE PILOT SAID HE DID NOT REFUEL IN LAS VEGAS BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HE HAD ENOUGH FOR THE RETURN TRIP.
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: 250 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 206 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,150 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 16, 1994; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT Las Vegas NV
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
Other NTSB records under N5388L 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.