Piper PA-28R-180 accident near Fresno, California, December 21, 2006
On December 21, 2006 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-180, registered N4666J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fresno, California (Fresno Chandler Executive airport). It was flown under rules the NTSB did not record. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The design stress limits of the airframe were exceeded by an unknown pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2006 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Fresno, California · Fresno Chandler Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180 · all PA-28R-180s on the register
- Registration
- N4666J · registry record · serial 28R-30565
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
No damage to the airplane was detected prior to the flight instructor being checked out in the airplane, as well as before the cross-country instructional flight which followed the check out. After the completion of the cross-country flight wrinkled skin on top of both wings was discovered. The instructor stated that the damage was not a result of anything that had transpired during the cross-country flight. Interviews conducted by the FAA with numerous pilots who had recently flown the airplane failed to reveal who was responsible for the damage or how it was caused.
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
Crew member
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command; 750 on instruments
Crew member
- Flight time: 212 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 140 as pilot in command
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,422 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 1, 2006; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.