Piper PA28 accident near Oceanside, California, January 29, 2019
On January 29, 2019 at about 5:00 am local time, a 1975 Piper PA28, registered N37RV, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Oceanside, California (Bob Maxwell Meml Airfield). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper decision to depart on the night visual flight rules flight into deteriorating weather conditions, which resulted in an in-flight encounter with instrument meteorological conditions and collision with rising terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 2019 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Oceanside, California · Bob Maxwell Meml Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28 151, built 1975 · all PA28s on the register
- Registration
- N37RV · no longer on the register · serial 28-7515205
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Video from the airport surveillance system showed the airplane arrived at the airport, and the pilot and passenger then left for a period. Two witnesses at the airport about that time described deteriorating weather conditions, including fog, and cancelled their evening flight. The video showed the pilot and passenger returned to the airport and then departed on the night visual flight rules flight. A witness near the airport watched the airplane take off, turn left, and enter fog followed by the sound of a loud crash sound. The wreckage was located the next morning, about 1/4 mile southwest of the airport just below the ridgeline of a 210-ft hill. The pilot did not recall any of the details about the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage throughout the fuselage. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of available weather vendors revealed no record of the pilot having received a preflight weather briefing; however, it could not be determined if the pilot obtained weather information using other sources. There were no pilot reports, SIGMETs, center weather advisories, or meteorological impact statements valid for the accident area. An AIRMET advisory Tango warned of moderate turbulence below 10,000 ft with conditions ending between 1900 and 2200. Reported weather at the departure airport indicated deteriorating visibility with fog present. Vertical visibility deteriorated from 300 ft above ground level (agl) to 200 ft agl in the hour before the accident flight departed. It is likely that the pilot departed into deteriorating weather conditions and failed to maintain clearance from the hillside.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during initial climb
- VFR encounter with IMC during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 945 hours in all; 53 in this make and model; 92 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,369.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2018; 58.3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,326 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: HHR Hawthorne CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 040° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 0 statute miles
- Sky: vv at 200 ft; clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 am from KOKB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on April 8, 2021. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N37RV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.