Piper PA-32R-301 N9254Q
4 April 1999 · Warner Springs, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 4 April 1999 at about 03:31 local time, a Piper PA-32R-301 registered N9254Q was involved in an accident near Warner Springs, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 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 03:31
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Warner Springs, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.2792, -116.6009
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-301
- Registration
- N9254Q
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Deer Valley → Carlsbad
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- LAX99FA138
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot disregarded his weather briefing and attempted flight into areas of forecast and reported icing and moderate to severe turbulence. The airplane encountered mountain wave activity resulting in an overload condition and in-flight separation of the left wing and stabilator. Mountainous terrain, icing conditions, and turbulence were factors in the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane impacted terrain following an uncontrolled descent. The horizontal stabilator and the left wing separated while the airplane was in a descending right turn on the downwind side of a mountain. The pilot received a full preflight weather briefing and updated that with an abbreviated briefing prior to takeoff. The briefings included a forecast for moderate to severe turbulence and icing along the route of flight. While en route, the pilot experienced icing conditions and requested a lower altitude. He received pilot reports while en route that indicated icing conditions were being encountered in the area of his destination. The airplane was not equipped with anti-icing or deicing equipment. A Safety Board weather study identified conditions that were conducive for clouds, turbulence, wind shear, icing, and mountain wave activity.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-32R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Jul 1999 | Piper PA-32R-301T | Magdalena, New Mexico, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 Apr 1999 | Piper PA-32R | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | Bellair, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 1999 | Piper PA-32R-301 | Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 21 Feb 1999 | Piper PA 32R-301 | Dulles, Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | - |
| 28 May 1999 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Valley Springs, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 1999 | Piper PA-32R | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 1999 | Rhea KR-2 | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Cessna 172A | Shoshone, California, United States | Charles R. Christman | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-22-150 | Strathmore, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Sep 1999 | Cessna 172N | San Jose, California, United States | Concord Flight Intl, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 1999 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Concord, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Azusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |