Piper PA-32R-300 N8701E

Summary

On 21 January 2004 at about 16:45 local time, a Piper PA-32R-300 registered N8701E was involved in an accident near Big Pine, 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.

Date

21 January 2004 at 16:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Pine, California, United States

Coordinates

37.1064, -118.2992

Aircraft

Piper PA-32R-300

Registration

N8701E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Inyokern → Bishop

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04FA102

1 person died.

failure of the pilot to maintain clearance with mountainous terrain for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight on a clear VFR day, the airplane collided with top of a ridgeline in a wing and nose level attitude. A post-impact fire destroyed the fuselage and forward cockpit areas. The pilot's normal workweek was Monday through Friday. Family members said he would leave his residence each day around 0530 in order to report to operations at the required 0600 time, and return home around 2030 each evening at the conclusion of his shift; going to bed around 2300. A captain who had flown with the accident pilot during the pilot's initial training (the accident pilot was observing en route procedures) indicated that during two flights, both from Inyokern to Bishop (the general area of the accident), the accident pilot had fallen asleep. The first time the accident pilot stated that he was tired and asked if it would be okay if he slept for a little bit. The second time, he just went to sleep. Both naps lasted between 20-30 minutes. A dispatcher working the night shift on January 20th reported that the accident pilot was 2.5 hours late returning to Burbank. The pilot was scheduled to be back at 1700, but had encountered adverse weather at Mammoth and did not return to the company base until 1930. The dispatcher reported that the accident pilot looked "beat up," like he had had a rough flight. According to the operator, the airplane was equipped with an autopilot. Due to the thermal damage to the airplane, the autopilot was not recovered. No discrepancies were noted with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.