Piper PA-28R-180 N3775T
13 February 1994 · Lake Tahoe, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 13 February 1994 at about 23:55 local time, a Piper PA-28R-180 registered N3775T, operated by Donald D. Brannon, was involved in an accident near Lake Tahoe, California, United States. One person was on board and one 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 23:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lake Tahoe, California, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-180
- Registration
- N3775T
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Donald D. Brannon
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Santa Ana
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX94FA125
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S IMPAIRMENT OF JUDGMENT AND PERFORMANCE DUE TO DRUGS, WHICH LED TO HIS FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDED DEPARTURE PROCEDURE, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE/CLEARANCE FROM RISING MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE TERRAIN AND WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE STUDENT PILOT DEPARTED SOUTH LAKE TAHOE AIRPORT FROM RUNWAY 18 AND REQUESTED A STRAIGHT OUT DEPARTURE TOWARD RAPIDLY RISING MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE RECOMMENDED DEPARTURE PROCEDURE WAS TO PROCEED (ABOUT 1.5 MILES) SOUTH TO A GOLF COURSE AND CLIMB IN RIGHT TURNS TO 7500 FEET BEFORE DEPARTING THE AREA. THE PILOT HAD BEEN ADVISED OF REPORTED TURBULENCE WITH UP AND DOWNDRAFTS IN THE TAHOE BASIN. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN ABOUT 9400 FEET MSL, 6 MILES SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT. A PLASTIC STRAW WITH COCAINE RESIDUE WAS FOUND IN THE AIRPLANE. A TOXICOLOGY TEST OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD BY THE COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER SHOWED IT WAS POSITIVE FOR BENZOYLECGONINE AT A LEVEL OF 0.223 UG/ML. OTHER BLOOD TESTS (AT CAMI) SHOWED 0.181 UG/ML OF BENZOYLECGONINE AND 0.050 UG/ML OF ECGONINE METHYL ESTER. TESTS OF THE PILOT'S URINE SHOWED 0.032 UG/ML OF COCAINE, 6.048 UG/ML OF BENZOYLECGONINE AND 0.834 UG/ML OF ECGONINE METHYL ESTER.
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 | - |
| 6 Dec 1994 | Piper PA-28R-180 | Groveland, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
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 |