Piper PA-28-161 N43310
12 June 1988 · Palm Springs, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 12 June 1988 at about 08:15 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N43310, operated by Mercury Air Center, was involved in an accident near Palm Springs, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 08:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Palm Springs, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Palm Springs (psp)
- Coordinates
- 33.8501, -116.5602
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161
- Registration
- N43310
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Mercury Air Center
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Goleta
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX88LA222
People
3 people were seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
PILOT MISJUDGED THE ALTITUDE OF THE MOUNTAIN PEAK.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE FLIGHT DEPT ON A DARK NIGHT, BUT THE PILOT REPORTED THE PREVAILING VISIBILITY WAS GREATER THAN 25 MILES. AFTER DEPARTING THE PILOT TURNED LEFT AND BEGAN AN ON-COURSE CLIMB TOWARD A MOUNTAINOUS AREA. WHEN THE AIRPLANE NEARED THE MOUNTAIN PEAK THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY PULLED UP, BUT THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE MOUNTAIN PEAK. THE PILOT AND PAX REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY PREIMPACT MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun 1988 | Piper PA-28-140 | Lehighton, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Oct 1988 | Piper PA-28 | Troutdale, Oregon, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 1988 | Piper PA-28-181 | Reedville, Virginia, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 1988 | Piper PA-28-160 | Renton, Washington, United States | Larry Dillon | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1988 | Piper PA-28-180 | Madeira Beach, Florida, United States | Parras, GUY | Fatal | 2 |
| 16 Jan 1988 | Piper PA-28-235 | Littlefield, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jan 1988 | Colman BD-4 | Half Moon Bay, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1988 | Cessna 182A | Visalia, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 1988 | Cessna 150F | Hayfork, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Feb 1988 | Beechcraft A36 | Ramona, California, United States | Lancer Engineering | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 May 1988 | Cessna 180B | Quincy, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 1988 | Hiller UH-12D | Winterhaven, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |