Piper PA28 N7943C

Summary

On 10 June 2019 at about 00:32 local time, a Piper PA28 registered N7943C was involved in an accident near Antioch, 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

10 June 2019 at 00:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Antioch, California, United States

Coordinates

38.0442, -121.8389

Aircraft

Piper PA28

Registration

N7943C

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Antioch → Antioch

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19FA163

1 person died.

A loss of control while conducting low-altitude, high-speed maneuvers.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The newly certificated private pilot rented the airplane to continue building flight experience in preparation for future flight training. Radar data showed that the airplane departed normally and proceeded to an area that the pilot had used as a practice area during his flight training. The airplane began to maneuver within this area, climbing to a maximum altitude of 5,300 ft mean sea level before it descended over a river and below radar coverage. Two witnesses in the area of the accident site saw the airplane “performing tricks,” during which it descended toward the surface of the water and pulled up abruptly. The airplane then entered a nose-low descent that continued until impact with the water. Both witnesses reported that the airplane impacted the river in a nose-low attitude at high speed. Examination of the recovered wreckage revealed no mechanical failures or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s loss of control while maneuvering at high speed and low altitude.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.