Piper PA-24-250 accident near Fullerton, California, October 23, 1997
On October 23, 1997 at about 8:26 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N8203P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fullerton, California (Fullerton Municipal 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 failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during landing roll, which resulted in an inadvertent ground swerve and subsequent damage to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1997 · about 8:26 pm local time
- Place
- Fullerton, California · Fullerton Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N8203P · registry record · serial 24-3455
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the landing was routine through landing touchdown. There was a quartering left crosswind at 12 knots. During rollout, the aircraft veered to the left, and the pilot was unable to keep the aircraft on the runway despite input of right rudder and brake control. Tire skid marks on the runway, made by the nose wheel and right main tires of the aircraft, started about 1,000 feet from the landing threshold. Approximately 500 feet further along the runway, the left main tire mark became visible as the marks angled toward the left edge of the runway. The marks from the right and left main gear converged at the left edge of the runway approximately 200 feet further along the runway.
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: 314 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 237 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,496 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 1997; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,990 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 4:00 pm
- Destination: FUL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,121 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:37 pm from FUL
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.