Piper PA-28R-200 N16344

Summary

On 8 June 1998 at about 01:05 local time, a Piper PA-28R-200 registered N16344, operated by Air Desert Pacific, was involved in an accident near Lytle Creek, 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.

Date

8 June 1998 at 01:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Lytle Creek, California, United States

Coordinates

34.2498, -117.5408

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-200

Registration

N16344

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Air Desert Pacific

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → La Verne

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98FA189

4 people died.

the pilot's intentional VFR descent into instrument meteorological conditions, resulting in a collision with mountainous terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated pilot contacted approach control while returning from a cross-country flight and requested a VFR descent, which was approved. The descent area was over mountainous terrain obscured in clouds. During the last radio contact with the pilot, he reported he was descending out of 5,300 feet msl. The wreckage was located at 5,250 feet msl. Pilot reports confirmed the obscuration of the mountain pass where the accident occurred.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.