Piper PA-28-181 accident near Shelter Cove, California, October 17, 1998
On October 17, 1998 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N6870F, was destroyed in an accident near Shelter Cove, California (Shelter Cove airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive airspeed, failure to attain the proper touchdown point, and the delayed decision to initiate a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1998 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Shelter Cove, California · Shelter Cove · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N6870F · no longer on the register · serial 28-7790170
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Two airplanes were being flown to the airport. The first airplane landed and the occupants watched the second airplane approach. The pilot of the first airplane commented that the second airplane was coming down too steep and fast to land. Witnesses stated the second airplane landed past the halfway point of the 3,400 foot runway at a high speed. A passenger from the first airplane noticed smoke from the tires after touchdown and thought it was the brakes being applied. Witnesses heard full power applied. The airplane struck a chain link fence on the airport perimeter during liftoff, shearing the nose landing gear off. The airplane then proceeded down a slope, struck a building and equipment, and came to rest on rocks on the opposite shore of a water inlet. After heavy wave action, the airplane subsequently sank in the turbulent water and was not recovered.
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: 140 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,158 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 11, 1998; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0 360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O48 Little River CA at 8:15 pm
- Destination: 0Q5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 3,400 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Observation at 8:58 pm from 087
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.