Piper PA-31-325 N6ET

Summary

On 4 April 1988 at about 02:06 local time, a Piper PA-31-325 registered N6ET was involved in an accident near Orinda, California, United States. 5 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

4 April 1988 at 02:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Orinda, California, United States

Coordinates

37.8906, -122.1895

Aircraft

Piper PA-31-325

Registration

N6ET

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Redding → San Jose

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX88FA148

5 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

BEFORE THE ACDNT, WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT CIRCLING IN A VALLEY BENEATH A LOW CLOUD LAYER & BELOW THE SURROUNDING HILLTOPS. THEY ESTIMATED THE CEILING WAS 400' OBSCURED. TWO WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT ENTERED CLOUDS BEFORE IT CRASHED. A 3RD WITNESS, WHO WAS A PLT, SAID THE ACFT WAS AT A VERY LOW ALT WHEN IT APCHD RISING/MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN; HE SAID THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A STEEP CLIMBING TURN & STALLED AFTER MAKING 2 COMPLETE TURNS. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A NOSE LOW, LEFT WING DOWN ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS FOUND. THE FAA HAD ISSUED THE PLT A SPECIAL 3RD CLASS MED CERT AFTER HE HAD QUINTUPLE HEART BYPASS SURGERY. HE WAS RPRTD TO HAVE GOTTEN 'QUITE ANGRY' BEFORE THE FLT, WHEN 2 PAXS WERE LATE. A PATHOLOGIST BELIEVED THE PLT'S DEATH MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO ARTERIOSCLEROTIC HEART DISEASE; HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT VERIFIED. THE PLT DID NOT HAVE AN INSTRUMENT RATING & NO RECORD OF A PREFLT WX BRIEFING WAS FOUND.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.