Piper PA-28-140 N4487X

Summary

On 18 July 1994 at about 18:06 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N4487X was involved in an accident near Banning, California, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 July 1994 at 18:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Banning, California, United States

Nearest airport

Banning Municipal (BNG)

Coordinates

33.9407, -116.9701

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N4487X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Van Nuys

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX94LA290

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to obtain and maintain an appropriate climb airspeed after lift-off which resulted in an inadvertent stall mush condition. Factors in the accident were the high-density altitude condition, the pilot's selection of a runway with an uphill gradient, and the pilot's loading of the aircraft 223 pounds in excess of the maximum allowable gross takeoff weight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING FROM PHOENIX TO VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, AND STOPPED AT BANNING FOR FUEL. AFTER ARRIVAL, 45.1 GALLONS OF 100 LL AVIATION FUEL WERE LOADED INTO THE AIRCRAFT'S FUEL TANKS. THE AIRCRAFT THEN TAXIED OUT AND DEPARTED ON THE 5,200-FOOT-LONG RUNWAY 26, WHICH HAS AN UPHILL GRADIENT OF 2.4 PERCENT. ACCORDING TO WITNESSES ON THE AIRPORT, THE AIRCRAFT USED APPROXIMATELY 4,200 FEET OF THE RUNWAY LENGTH DURING THE GROUND RUN AND NEVER ACHIEVED MORE THAN 200 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL IN THE CLIMB. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SLOWLY DESCENDED IN A NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE AS THE WINGS OSCILLATED SLIGHTLY. A PILOT WITNESS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY PARALLEL TO THE AIRCRAFT'S FLIGHT PATH REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT'S GROUND SPEED GRADUALLY DECAYED BELOW 55 MPH AS THE NOSE ROSE HIGHER AND HIGHER. THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A SLIGHT LEFT TURN, THEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE TOP OF A 40-FOOT-TALL POWER POLE AND CAME TO REST ON THE DRIVEWAY OF A COMMERCIAL BUILDING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOADED 223 POUNDS OVER MAX ALLOWABLE GROSS WEIGHT. THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS 4,240 FEET. NO MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND WITH THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.