Piper PA-28-236 accident near Lost Hills, California, November 21, 1996
On November 21, 1996 at about 4:34 am local time, a Piper PA-28-236, registered N8447B, was destroyed in an accident near Lost Hills, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which led to spatial disorientation and loss of aircraft control, and the pilot exceeding the aircraft's design stress limits during an attempted recovery. The noninstrument-rated pilot's failure to obtain a weather briefing, the weather conditions, and the dark night were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 1996 · about 4:34 am local time
- Place
- Lost Hills, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-236 · all PA-28-236s on the register
- Registration
- N8447B · no longer on the register · serial 28-8211007
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft was found with the wings and empennage separated from the fuselage. The separations were approximately symmetrical on the left and right sides of the aircraft, and overload in character. Recorded weather data indicated clouds and light rain near the accident site at the time of the crash. The pilot was not instrument rated and his logbook did not reveal any recent instrument training or experience. The was no record of the pilot obtaining a preflight or in-flight weather briefing.
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: 687 hours in all; 570 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,821 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3AD5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWD Hayward CA at 3:10 am
- Destination: UDD Bermuda Dunes CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from BFL, 38 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.