Ukiah Municipal Airport, Ukiah, CA
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Ukiah Municipal Airport Today:
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Airport Area Accident History:
Accident occurred Sunday, April
04, 2004 in
Ukiah, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date:
12/28/2004
Aircraft: Piper PA-32R-301T,
registration: N4130D
Injuries: 1 Fatal.
The non-instrument rated
private pilot attempted
to depart an airport in
instrument meteorological
conditions. Prior to departure,
the pilot talked to another,
airborne pilot in the area, and
confirmed the airport's reported
conditions of an overcast layer
at 100 feet above ground level
(agl). The accident pilot
indicated to the other pilot
that he intended to depart VFR.
Several witnesses reported that
they observed the airplane
departing to the south. It then
turned toward the west at low
level and subsequently turned
back to the east. They further
noted that the engine sound
remained constant, continuing
until the sound of a loud crash.
The airplane contacted
vegetation just prior to
colliding with the ground, and
the debris path continued along
a southerly heading.
Investigators examined the
extensively crushed and
fragmented wreckage, and
identified no preimpact
mechanical malfunctions or
failures. The pilot had logged
about 7 hours of simulated
instrument time.
The National Transportation
Safety Board determines the
probable cause(s) of this
accident as follows:
The non-instrument rated pilot's
flight intentional flight into
instrument meteorological
conditions during
takeoff-initial climb, which
resulted in
spatial disorientation , a
subsequent loss of aircraft
control, and an uncontrolled
descent into terrain. A factor
in the accident was the pilot's
lack of an instrument rating and
a low ceiling.
===
Accident occurred Wednesday,
February 16, 2000 in UKIAH, CA
Probable Cause Approval Date:
7/2/2001
Aircraft: Piper PA-32-300,
registration: N1452T
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
Fuel levels in both
fuel tanks were 1 inch
from the top of the filler neck
when the airplane departed
Hayward, California , en
route to
Ukiah . The right tank was
selected for the flight to
Ukiah, the landing, and the
subsequent takeoff for the
return trip to Hayward. A right
turn was initiated after
departure from runway 33 at an
altitude of 400 feet agl.
Passing through 500 feet, the
pilot encountered a power
fluctuation, which concerned him
enough to continue his turn to
set up for a landing on runway
15. The engine then quit
producing power, and the pilot
set up a glide to attempt a
return to the airport. After
advancing the mixture, throttle,
and propeller controls, he
verified the ignition was on,
but did not have time to switch
fuel tanks. The airplane
collided with a fence along the
airport boundary. The FAA
accident coordinator observed
the fuel selector on the right
tank and drained 12 ounces of
fuel from that tank. The fuel
inlet line to the engine was
examined and no fuel was
present. The left tank fuel
level was 1 inch below the
filler neck. The takeoff and
approach and landing checklists
in the Owner's Handbook instruct
the pilot to select the fullest
tank for landing and the proper
tank for takeoff.
The National Transportation
Safety Board determines the
probable cause(s) of this
accident as follows:
failure of the pilot to comply
with the checklists in the
Owner's Handbook, resulting in a
total loss of engine power due
to fuel exhaustion.
Ukiah Municipal
Airport Approach / Landing:
