Piper PA-16 accident near Esparto, California, June 11, 2007
On June 11, 2007, a Piper PA-16, registered N5641H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Esparto, California (Private Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's misjudgment of altitude resulting in an undershoot. Factors included the berm and the wind gusts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2007
- Place
- Esparto, California · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-16 · all PA-16s on the register
- Registration
- N5641H · no longer on the register · serial 16-252
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that at the south end of his private airstrip was a tomato field with an irrigation ditch that rises about 8 to 10 inches above the flat ground, and that while trying to land to the north in "mildly gusty conditions" (8 to 10 miles per hour variable out of the west-northwest) he clipped a berm. The pilot revealed that the impact "snapped off" the left landing gear as the airplane continued onto the runway and settled on the left wing and firewall. The pilot stated that he should have landed a little longer. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported.
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: 980 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCC Mccellan CA
- Destination: Esparto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,800 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 8 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.