Piper PA 22-135 N1348C

Summary

On 2 June 2015 at about 03:58 local time, a Piper PA 22-135 registered N1348C was involved in an accident near Livermore, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 June 2015 at 03:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Livermore, California, United States

Nearest airport

Livermore (LVK)

Coordinates

37.7208, -121.7600

Aircraft

Piper PA 22-135

Registration

N1348C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1953

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Livermore → Livermore

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

WPR15FA174

1 person died.

A loss of control for reasons that could not be determined, because examination of the airframe and engine revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot departed on a local night flight. Shortly after takeoff, he reported a control difficulty to air traffic control tower personnel; he stated that he was going to make a circle, and troubleshoot the issue. There were no further transmissions from the pilot. A witness about 1/2 mile away from the airport said that the airplane caught his attention when he heard the engine cut out. He looked up, but couldn't see the airplane as it was dusk. He finally saw two outboard lights, one on each wing, and realized that the airplane was in a nose dive. According to the witness, it was not spinning, and the engine sounded like it was at full throttle. Radar data indicated that the airplane departed about on runway heading, and about 2 minutes into the flight it began a 180° turn. The airplane lost about 1,100 ft of altitude in 18 seconds during the turn. The radar track continued in a straight line until ground impact. Postaccident examination revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine or would have caused a control difficulty.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.