Accident Piper PA-28-181 N4321N,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 35449
 
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Date:Sunday 3 July 1994
Time:16:03 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic P28A model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Piper PA-28-181
Owner/operator:Inbound Aviation
Registration: N4321N
MSN: 28-8390080
Total airframe hrs:4424 hours
Engine model:Lycoming O-360-A4M
Fatalities:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:So. Lake Tahoe , CA -   United States of America
Phase: Initial climb
Nature:Private
Departure airport:
Destination airport:San Jose, CA (KRHV)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
THE PILOT BEGAN HIS TAKEOFF FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE 8,544-FOOT- LONG RUNWAY. AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE BECOME AIRBORNE AFTER ROLLING BETWEEN 2,500 AND 3,000 FEET. WITNESSES REPORTED THE AIRPLANE PITCHED UP AND DOWN SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS FLYING SLOWLY AS IT CLIMBED BETWEEN 100 AND 200 FEET AGL. WHILE STILL OVER THE RUNWAY AND OUT OF GROUND EFFECT, THE AIRPLANE COMMENCED A STEEP (45 TO 90 DEGREE) LEFT BANK AND CRASHED INTO A FIELD 900 FEET EAST OF THE RUNWAY. WRECKAGE AND GROUND IMPACT SIGNATURES WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE AIRPLANE HAVING COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN WHILE IN AN 80-DEGREE LEFT BANK. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND WITH THE AIRPLANE. DURING THE PRECEDING 20-MONTH-LONG PERIOD SINCE THE PILOT RECEIVED A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE, HE HAD FLOWN AIRPLANES FOR 6 HOURS. HIS TOTAL EXPERIENCE IN THE PIPER AIRPLANE WAS 3.1 HOURS OF WHICH 1.4 HOURS HAD BEEN A CHECKOUT FLIGHT GIVEN BY A CFI. THE CFI REPORTED HE HAD NOT CHECKED OUT THE PILOT AT HIGH-DENSITY ALTITUDE AIRPORTS. THE CALCULATED DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS ABOUT 8,570 FEET.

Probable Cause: the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during initial climb under high-density altitude weather conditions and a resultant inadvertent stall/spin. Factors which contributed to the accident were the pilot's overconfidence in his personal ability, and his lack of experience flying the airplane.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: LAX94FA272
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 10 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB LAX94FA272

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2008 10:30 ASN archive Added
21-Dec-2016 19:22 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
10-Apr-2024 06:17 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report]

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