Piper PA-28R-200 N2737R

Summary

On 6 November 1998 at about 22:54 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N2737R was involved in an accident near Bishop, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 November 1998 at 22:54

Classification

Accident

Location

Bishop, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-200

Registration

N2737R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → Merced

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99FA028

3 people died.

The failure of the pilot-in-command, after encountering a downdraft, to maneuver and maintain clearance from mountainous terrain. Physical impairment due to hypoxia was a factor in the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he intended to fly a direct route from his departure point to the destination, a route that crossed the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Recorded radar data showed the aircraft on a northwesterly heading as it approached the mountain range from the east, cruising VFR at 14,500 feet msl, and approaching 13,558-foot Mount Goddard. Forecast winds aloft were northwesterly approximately 50 knots. In the 9 minutes before the aircraft disappeared from radar, mode-C decoded altitude data showed the aircraft descended from 14,500 feet to 13,200 feet. The wreckage was located near where radar contact was lost at the 13,200-foot level on the mountain side. Two pilot reports stated that the mountain peaks were obscured in clouds. The aircraft cruised above 12,500 feet for more than 50 minutes prior to the accident. There was no supplemental breathing oxygen aboard.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.