Piper PA-28R-200 N8604N
23 September 2003 · North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 23 September 2003 at about 19:55 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N8604N, operated by West Air Aviation, was involved in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:55
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
- Nearest airport
- North Las Vegas (VGT)
- Coordinates
- 36.2125, -115.1961
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Registration
- N8604N
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- West Air Aviation
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- St. George → N. Las Vegas
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX03FA298
People
2 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control Tower local controller and local assist controller to effectively monitor the runway operation and ensure proper separation was maintained between aircraft on intersecting runways.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The Piper Arrow (N8604N) was landing on runway 12R and the Piper Mirage (N146PM) had started the takeoff roll on runway 7 when they collided at the intersection of the two runways. The Piper Arrow was cleared to land on runway 12R, 54 seconds before the Piper Mirage was given a takeoff clearance on the intersecting runway. During this time frame, the local controller and local assist controller were both viewing the D-Brite radar and looking out the tower cab's rear windows for a helicopter that had entered the class D airspace without authorization. With both controllers attention diverted to the helicopter, they failed to effectively monitor the runway operation and did not ensure proper separation was maintained between the two airplanes operating on the intersecting runways. Radar data indicated when the pilot of the Piper Arrow contacted the LC-1 controller and reported inbound for landing, the airplane was approximately 6 miles north-northeast of the airport and tracking a course of about 200 degrees. The airplane remained on that course, and the pilot was cleared to land when the airplane was approximately 2 1/4 miles north-northwest of the airport. About 20 seconds later the airplane began a left turn towards the airport. The airplane’s radar track indicated the pilot of the Piper Arrow flew a standard base leg to final approach, in accordance with the issued clearance. When the LC-1 controller cleared the pilot of the Piper Mirage for takeoff, the Piper Arrow was about 1 1/2 miles northeast of the airport on final to runway 12R with the data tag on the D-Brite radar showing a ground speed of 110 knots. Assuming that Piper Arrow’s ground speed remained 110 knots or less during the remainder of the approach, the airplane was about 1 minute away from touchdown. This meant that the pilot of the Piper Mirage had less than 1 minute to power up his aircraft, taxi on to runway 7, begin a departure roll, and travel about 725 feet in order to pass through the intersection of runway 12R before the Piper Arrow crossed the landing threshold for runway 12R. While this is not impossible, the minimal time available for Piper Mirage to depart before the Piper Arrow arrived warranted close monitoring by the controllers to ensure that separation was maintained at the intersection.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piper PA-28R-200 | N8604N | West Air Aviation | Substantial |
| Piper PA-46-350P | N146PM | Samuel Johnson | Substantial |
Other Piper PA-28R accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Delta, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R | Enterprise, Alabama, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 2003 | Piper PA-28R | Columbia, South Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 2003 | Piper PA-28R-180 | Pell City, Alabama, United States | Mark Gregory Etheredge | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jan 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Roanoke, Texas, United States | Marcair Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | La Sal, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
All 1,342 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 2003 | Piper PA-18-150 | Ely, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jul 2003 | Cessna 150H | Dyer, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 2003 | Cessna 182A | Jean, Nevada, United States | Laurent Lobjoit | No injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 2003 | Cessna 340A | Boulder City, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Beechcraft C35 | Gerlach, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Aug 2003 | Beechcraft K35 | Gerlach, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |