Piper PA-24-250 N7280P
13 June 1996 · Big Bear City, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 13 June 1996 at about 18:29 local time, a Piper PA-24-250 registered N7280P, operated by Robert J. Hull, was involved in an accident near Big Bear City, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 died, one was 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 18:29
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Big Bear City, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Big Bear City (L35)
- Coordinates
- 34.2295, -116.8606
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250
- Registration
- N7280P
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Robert J. Hull
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Blythe
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX96FA229
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
improper preflight by the pilot, by failing to ensure that the fuel selector was positioned to an approved fuel tank with adequate fuel before takeoff; his failure to reposition the fuel selector (per emergency procedures) after the loss of engine power; and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and collision with the terrain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
During the initial climb after takeoff, the aircraft's engine abruptly and completely lost power when the aircraft was about 200 feet above ground level. Witnesses reported that the aircraft continued ahead until its nose pitched up once or twice. The left wing then dropped, and the aircraft fell into the shallow water of a lake. The fuel selector was found positioned to the left auxiliary tank. In an interview, the pilot acknowledged that he had not checked the selector position before takeoff as required by the aircraft checklist, and he had inadvertently departed with the fuel selector positioned to the empty auxiliary tank.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-24 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1996 | Piper PA-24-250 | Santa Paula, California, United States | Peter A. Perl | No injuries | - |
| 15 Jun 1996 | Piper PA-24-250 | Pelican Narrows, Canada | P.e. Koretko & D.m. Stoos | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Apr 1996 | Piper PA-24-250 | Bellville, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 1996 | Piper PA-24-180 | Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 1996 | Piper PA-24 | Livingston, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 1996 | Piper PA-24-250 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | L. Scott Brooksby | No injuries | - |
All 2,700 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1996 | Maule M-6-235 | Bishop, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1996 | Cessna 210A | Truckee, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Santa Paula, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Plymouth, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1996 | Cessna T210M | Grass Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172L | Napa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |