Piper PA-28-140 accident near Santa Barbara, California, March 15, 1997
On March 15, 1997 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N7163R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Santa Barbara, California (Santa Barbara Muni airport). 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
the pilot's improper planning/decision, which resulted in loss of engine power, due to fuel exhaustion. His psychological condition was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 1997 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Barbara, California · Santa Barbara Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N7163R · registry record · serial 28-21872
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to an FAA inspector, an aircraft entered Santa Barbara's Class C airspace without authorization or communication from the control tower and proceeded to over-fly the airport. Subsequently, it crashed 3 miles east of the airport. A sheriff's deputy responded to the scene of the accident and reported that the pilot had requested in-flight refueling from the control tower. The sheriff's deputy also stated that the pilot was incoherent. The pilot was then involuntarily admitted for psychiatric observation. A subpoena was issued for the evaluation and discharge summary of the pilot. The attending psychiatrist reported that the pilot had a bipolar disorder. The pilot did not possess an FAA pilot certificate. He did, however, possess a third-class medical, issued on September 22, 1992, but it had been expired for 3 1/2 years at the time of the accident. The FAA inspector reported that no fuel was found onboard or in the vicinity of the wreckage, and that no preexisting anomalies were found.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O69 Petaluma CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: Baja
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; 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.