Piper PA-24-250 N5393P

Summary

On 18 March 1987 at about 06:40 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N5393P was involved in an accident near Jamestown, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

18 March 1987 at 06:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Jamestown, California, United States

Coordinates

37.8500, -120.4898

Aircraft

Piper PA-24-250

Registration

N5393P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sacramento → Columbia

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

LAX87FA149

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

DURING THE NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLT, THE ACCIDENT ACFT, IN COMPANY WITH 2 OTHERS, WAS TRYING TO LAND AT THE DEST AIRPORT IN HILLY TERRAIN. AS THE 3 ACFT APPROACHED THE AIRPORT THEY ENCOUNTERED BKN TO OVRCST CONDITIONS OF ABOUT 400 FT AGL AND VIS OF 2 MI IN RAIN. THE FIRST 2 ACFT LANDED SAFELY, BUT THE ACCIDENT ACFT MADE A GO AROUND BECAUSE THE PLT SAID VIA RADIO THAT HE 'LOST SIGHT OF THE RWY AFTER ENTERING A CLOUD.' ON THE RADIO, THE PLT SAID THAT HE WAS IN THE CLOUDS, FOLLOWED BY A REMARK 'THERE'S THE MOON.' OVER THE RADIO, THE PLT TOLD THE OTHER PLTS THAT HE WAS GOING TO A NEARBY AIRPORT TO WAIT FOR BETTER WX. GND WITNESS HEARD THE ACFT CIRCLING SEVERAL TIMES IN THE VICINITY OF THE ACCIDENT SITE BEFORE HEARING SOUNDS OF IMPACT. EXAM OF THE SITE REVEALED THAT THE ACFT STRUCK A LARGE PINE TREE NEAR THE TOP WITH ITS RIGHT WING. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A STEEP INVERTED NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE EXTENDED WRECKAGE BEARING WAS ALIGNED WITH THE DEST AIRPORT, WHICH WAS 8 MI AWAY.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.