Piper PA-24-250 N604MM
17 September 1988 · Springville, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 17 September 1988 at about 01:32 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N604MM was involved in an accident near Springville, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 01:32
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Springville, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Sequoia (CA44)
- Coordinates
- 36.1695, -118.7006
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250
- Registration
- N604MM
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Camarillo → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX88FA319
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
PILOT USED POOR JUDGEMENT IN EXECUTING THE SECOND LOW PASS AND FAILED TO FOLLOW NORMAL V.F.R. GO-AROUND PROCEDURES. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN FLYING SPEED DURING THE RAPID PITCH-UP MANEUVER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PRIVATE AIRPORT WAS LOCATED IN A VALLEY SURROUNDED BY MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN; THE HIGHEST MTN PEAKS WERE LOCATED TO THE EAST & WEST OF THE NORTH/SOUTH (36/18) RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE APPROACHED THE ARPT FROM THE SOUTH AND THE PILOT MADE A LOW PASS OVER RUNWAY 36 AS WAS CUSTOMARY TO INSURE THAT NO LIVESTOCK WERE ON THE RUNWAY. AFTER COMPLETING THE LOW PASS, THE PLT CLIMBED STRAIGHT AHEAD BEYOND THE RISING TERRAIN, THEN ENTERED LEFT TRAFFIC. GROUND WITNESSES REPORTEDTHAT THE AIRPLANE MADE ANOTHER LOW PASS OVER THE RUNWAY. AT THE NORTH END OF THE RUNWAY, THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A SHARP CLIMBING TURN, BUT AFTER ABOUT 90 DEG OF TURN, IT CRASHED ON RISING TERRAIN, ABOUT 1/4 MI NORTHWEST FROM THE CENTER OF THE AIRPORT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE ACFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A STEEP NOSEDOWN ATTITUDE. NO PREEXISTING MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-24 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Apr 1988 | Piper PA-24-180 | Chico, California, United States | Cole, Ralph H. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 1988 | Piper PA-24-400 | Midland, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Oct 1988 | Piper PA-24-180 | Alexandria, Minnesota, United States | IRA Hanson | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Oct 1988 | Piper PA-24-250 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | Graves, Dorel | No injuries | - |
| 15 May 1988 | Piper PA-24-250 | Floresville, Texas, United States | JON S. Blocker | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 1988 | Piper PA-24-260 | Readington, New Jersey, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
All 2,700 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 1988 | Colman BD-4 | Half Moon Bay, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1988 | Cessna 182A | Visalia, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 1988 | Cessna 150F | Hayfork, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Feb 1988 | Beechcraft A36 | Ramona, California, United States | Lancer Engineering | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 May 1988 | Cessna 180B | Quincy, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 1988 | Hiller UH-12D | Winterhaven, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |