Piper PA-28-161 N9141Y

Summary

On 21 December 2006 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N9141Y, operated by Flying Vikings, was involved in an accident near Big Pine, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 December 2006 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Big Pine, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N9141Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Flying Vikings

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bishop → Undetermined

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX07FA060

2 people died.

The inadequate in-flight/planning decision of both pilots to fly up a box canyon at low altitude, and their failure to maintain clearance from the terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certified flight instructor (CFI) and the pilot under instruction (PUI) were going on a series of cross-country flights to allow the PUI to build flight time. Motorists observed the wreckage near a road that was in the flat bottom of a canyon whose floor width varied from an estimated 50 yards at the narrowest point to 200 yards at the widest point. The canyon made several left and right turns as it wound its way uphill in a general southeasterly direction. The canyon sides appeared to be several hundred feet higher than the accident site elevation and the rim appeared to be about 100 feet higher at the head of the canyon. An evaluation of the ground scars and impact signatures on the wreckage disclosed that the airplane was in a left turn attempting to reverse course out of the box canyon when the left wing tip dug into the ground. The airplane then tumbled so that it was pointing down canyon when it came to rest. No evidence of a mechanical failure or malfunction was noted during the post accident inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.