Piper PA38 accident near Grass Valley, CA
On November 10, 2020, a Piper PA38 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Grass Valley, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- November 10, 2020
- Place
- Grass Valley, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA38 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.191°N, 120.999°W
- NTSB ID
- 20201111102266
Official records · WPR21FA044
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Audio: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn November 10, 2020, about 1540 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-38-112, N6380A, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Grass Valley, California. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) data obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration showed that the pilot departed Cameron Park Airport (O61), Cameron Park, California, and arrived at University Airport (EDU), Davis, California, about 1100, where he purchased 12 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation fuel. The pilot departed EDU and flew to an area east of the airport, where he performed numerous maneuvers before proceeding to Yolo County Airport (DWA), Davis, California, before he returning to EDU about 1200. The pilot departed EDU about 1419 and completed a touch-and-go landing at Oroville Municipal Airport (OVE), Oroville, California. The pilot proceeded southeast at a cruise altitude of 5,500 ft mean sea level. At 1533:49, the airplane passed Nevada County Airport (GOO), Grass Valley, California, about 2 minutes before completing a slight right turn to a southerly heading. About this time, the pilot reported a loss of engine power to air traffic control. The pilot conducted a 180° right turn to the north as the airplane began to descend, followed by a 180° left turn about 2 minutes later, at which point the ADS-B track data ended at 1539:22, approximately 0.3 nautical mile (nm) west of the accident site. Figure 1 shows the airplane’s flightpat
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power due to the pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel starvation.
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Browse: California · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
