Piper PA28 N37RV

Summary

On 29 January 2019 at about 05:00 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N37RV was involved in an accident near Oceanside, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 January 2019 at 05:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Oceanside, California, United States

Nearest airport

Bob Maxwell Meml Airfield (OKB)

Coordinates

33.2106, -117.3692

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N37RV

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Hawthorne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR19FA075

1 person died.

The pilot’s improper decision to depart on the night visual flight rules flight into deteriorating weather conditions, which resulted in an in-flight encounter with instrument meteorological conditions and collision with rising terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Video from the airport surveillance system showed the airplane arrived at the airport, and the pilot and passenger then left for a period. Two witnesses at the airport about that time described deteriorating weather conditions, including fog, and cancelled their evening flight. The video showed the pilot and passenger returned to the airport and then departed on the night visual flight rules flight. A witness near the airport watched the airplane take off, turn left, and enter fog followed by the sound of a loud crash sound. The wreckage was located the next morning, about 1/4 mile southwest of the airport just below the ridgeline of a 210-ft hill. The pilot did not recall any of the details about the accident. The airplane sustained substantial damage throughout the fuselage. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of available weather vendors revealed no record of the pilot having received a preflight weather briefing; however, it could not be determined if the pilot obtained weather information using other sources. There were no pilot reports, SIGMETs, center weather advisories, or meteorological impact statements valid for the accident area. An AIRMET advisory Tango warned of moderate turbulence below 10,000 ft with conditions ending between 1900 and 2200. Reported weather at the departure airport indicated deteriorating visibility with fog present. Vertical visibility deteriorated from 300 ft above ground level (agl) to 200 ft agl in the hour before the accident flight departed. It is likely that the pilot departed into deteriorating weather conditions and failed to maintain clearance from the hillside.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.