Piper PA-28R-180 N4510J
6 December 1994 · Groveland, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 6 December 1994 at about 02:53 local time, a Piper PA-28R-180 registered N4510J was involved in an accident near Groveland, 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 02:53
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Groveland, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Pine Mountain Lake (Q68)
- Coordinates
- 37.8491, -120.0106
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180
- Registration
- N4510J
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Jose → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX95FA044
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
the failure of the pilot to maintain adequate terrain clearance during a nighttime descent into the airport over an unlighted mountainous area. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's distraction by attempting to make several cellular telephone calls during a critical phase of flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE ACCIDENT SITE IS AT 3,440 FEET IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE NONINSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT FLEW REGULARLY INTO THE PINE MOUNTAIN AIRPORT. RECORDED RADAR DATA DISCLOSED A SECONDARY MODE C BEACON TARGET THAT DISAPPEARED WITHIN 1/4 MILE OF THE ACCIDENT SITE AT THE ESTIMATED TIME OF THE CRASH. THE TARGET FLEW ON A RELATIVELY CONSTANT NORTHEASTERLY HEADING WHILE NORTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A DESCENT FROM APPROXIMATELY 5,700 FEET AND THE LAST RADAR RETURN SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT HAD DESCENDED TO 3,800 FEET MSL. A PILOT AT THE AIRPORT STATED THAT WEATHER HAD BEEN 'UP AND DOWN' ALL DAY WITH LOW CLOUD LAYERS MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. HE STATED THAT THERE WERE VERY FEW GROUND LIGHTS IN THE AREA OF THE CRASH AND IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO SEE THE SURROUNDING TERRAIN ON A DARK NIGHT. CELLULAR TELEPHONE RECORDS DISCLOSED THAT THE PILOT MADE THREE PHONE CALLS DURING THE LAST 10 MINUTES OF THE FLIGHT WITH ONE UNCOMPLETED CALL RECORDED ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE NIGHT WAS DARK WITH NO MOON.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Fort Bragg, California, United States | Sundance Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-180 | Vine Grove, Kentucky, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201T | Lockwood, West Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Oakland, Maryland, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Apr 1994 | Piper PA-28R-200 | River Ranch, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 1,342 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 1994 | Corley LANCAIR | Ramona, California, United States | Ronald W. Corley | Fatal | 2 |