Piper PA-28-181 N8019N
21 April 1991 · Carpenteria, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 21 April 1991 at about 03:53 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N8019N, operated by West Wind Aviation, was involved in an accident near Carpenteria, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 03:53
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Carpenteria, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.4292, -119.5206
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181
- Registration
- N8019N
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- West Wind Aviation
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Santa Barbara → Van Nuys
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX91FA181
People
4 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
1) INADEQUATE WEATHER EVALUATION BY THE PILOT, 2) POOR INFLIGHT DECISION TO TRY AND CONTINUE VMC FLIGHT, AND 3) THE PILOT'S LACK OF TOTAL EXPERIENCE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT TOOK OFF IN VMC CONDITIONS FROM AN AIRPORT THAT IS ON THE COAST. THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS A FEW MILES INLAND HAD BEEN OBSCURED BY CLOUDS AND LOW CEILINGS FOR SEVERAL HOURS. ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT CONTACTED AN APPROACH CONTROL FACILITY TO REQUEST VISUAL FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT FOLLOWING. ABOUT ONE MINUTE AFTER THAT FIRST CONTACT, THE PILOT STARTED GIVING INDICATIONS THAT HE WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE WEATHER AND WITH FINDING HIS EXACT POSITION. WITHIN ABOUT 3 1/2 MINUTES AFTER THE INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE CONTROLLER, THE PILOT SAID THAT HE COULDN'T SEE 'ANYTHING'. THAT WAS HIS LAST KNOWN RADIO TRANSMISSION. HIS TRANSPONDER SQUAWK CODE DISAPPEARED FROM THE CONTROLLER'S RADAR SCREEN AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME AS THE LAST KNOWN TRANSMISSION. THE CONTROLLER ASKED THE PILOT SEVERAL TIMES IF HE WAS VMC OR VFR. THE PILOT RESPONDED AFFIRMATIVELY EVERY TIME. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A MOUNTAIN AT ABOUT THE 3,300 FEET LEVEL.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Hibbing, Minnesota, United States | WM. & Audrey Svigel | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 1991 | Piper PA-28 | Berryville, Arkansas, United States | Snider, Richard D. | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 1991 | Piper PA-28-161 | Greeley, Colorado, United States | P.c. Flyers | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-28-180 | Old Bridge, New Jersey, United States | Martin Sade | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Titusville, Florida, United States | Achord, Marvin L. | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Yuma, Colorado, United States | Aero Training of the Rockies | No injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |