Piper PA-28-140 N6549W

Summary

On 5 October 2007 at about 07:52 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N6549W, operated by Raymond E. Roessler, was involved in an accident near Oak Hills, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 October 2007 at 07:52

Classification

Accident

Location

Oak Hills, California, United States

Coordinates

35.3539, -117.4397

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-140

Registration

N6549W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Raymond E. Roessler

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX08FA002

1 person died.

The pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions and failure to maintain terrain clearance during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident were mountainous terrain, dark night, and fog.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During cruise flight in dark night conditions, the pilot stated to air traffic control that he was at 3,700 feet over the freeway interchange at the base of a mountain pass. The pilot transmitted to the controller that he could not climb because he had clouds above him that he could not climb through. The accident site was at the summit of the pass at an approximate elevation of 4,196 feet. A deputy sheriff was traversing the pass in the area of the accident site just prior to the accident and he noted heavy fog and very limited visibility at the top of the pass. As he proceeded down the hill, the visibility improved as he dropped below the clouds and he observed an airplane flying up toward the pass. Ground scars and impact signatures were consistent with controlled flight into terrain. Investigators found no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.