Piper PA-28-161 N6106H

Summary

On 11 July 2004 at about 21:15 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N6106H was involved in an accident near Bridgeport, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 July 2004 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Bridgeport, California, United States

Coordinates

38.2653, -119.3864

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N6106H

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bridgeport → Columbia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA260

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to attain an adequate altitude to clear mountainous terrain during a high density altitude condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with mountainous terrain while attempting to traverse the mountains at a density altitude approaching the climb capability limit of the airplane. The pilot reported that after departure he conducted circling climbs over the traffic pattern to gain altitude before heading west toward rising terrain to cross the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. He stated that he did not remember exactly what altitude he climbed to, but estimated that it was around 9,000 to 9,500 feet mean sea level (msl). The pilot flew the airplane between two mountain peaks, which were separated by a 1-mile trough. As the airplane was flying between the peaks, it encountered a downdraft that sent the airplane in a nose down pitch attitude. The pilot attempted to recover, but found the engine could not produce enough power to attain a positive climb rate. The pilot leveled off the airplane and attempted to turn it to the left, but heard the stall warning horn sound. The pilot then tried to turn the airplane to the right, but the stall warning horn sounded again. The pilot pulled the nose up before the airplane impacted the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector, who performed a post-accident examination of the airplane, reported that there was nothing wrong with the airplane that would have prevented its normal operation. The approximate density altitude at the accident site was calculated to be 12,300 feet, which according to the airplane information manual, would only allow a 60-foot-per-minute climb rate.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.