Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Lakeport, California, December 15, 1987
On December 15, 1987 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N400LA, was destroyed in an accident near Lakeport, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 1987 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lakeport, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N400LA · registry record · serial 32R7780507
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ALTHOUGH WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE MARGINALLY VFR AT HIS DEPARTURE POINT, AND THE PILOT HAD ACCESS TO A VEHICLE WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN USED TO DRIVE TO HIS DEST, HE DEPARTED NOVATO, CA, ENROUTE TO LAKEPORT, CA, WITHOUT OBTAINING A WX BRIEFING NOR FILING A FLT PLAN. SHORTLY AFT DEPARTURE AND AGAIN NEARING HIS DEST HE RECEIVED INFLT WX INFO FM UKIAH FSS AND ACKNOWLEDGED THE REPORTED BAD WX IN THE VIC OF HIS ROUTE OF FLT. A WITNESS NEAR THE ACCD SITE REPORTED SNOW, STRONG WINDS, LOW CEILINGS, AND WORSENING CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCD. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A SHALLOW RIDGE IN LOW MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WHILE IN AN UPRIGHT, SLIGHTLY DESCENDING RIGHT WING DOWN ATTITUDE. THE ELEVATION OF THE GROUND IMPACT SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 2450 FEET AND THE CLOUD BASES WERE REPORTED AT UKIAH AS APPROXIMATELY 2600 FEET MSL NEAR THE TIME OF THE ACCD.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,781 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 1987; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O56 Novato CA
- Destination: 1O2 Lakeport CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: 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.