Piper PA-44-180 accident near Indio Hills, CA
On October 28, 1996, a Piper PA-44-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Indio Hills, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 28, 1996
- Place
- Indio Hills, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.830°N, 116.290°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X06911
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 27, 1996, at 1837 hours Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-44-180, N2157P, en route to Long Beach, California, lost radar and voice communication with Palm Springs TRACON. The aircraft broke up in-flight and was destroyed. The private pilot and his passenger received fatal injuries. The aircraft was rented by the pilot for a personal flight from the Long Beach Flying Club when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Goodyear, Arizona, on the afternoon of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the closest weather reporting facility. Recorded radar data and air-ground communications maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration were reviewed. The review disclosed that the pilot was flight following with Palm Springs TRACON while cruising at 10,500 feet msl. About 1833, the pilot was assigned a new transponder beacon code and responded to controllers by repeating the last digit. About 1835, the radar mode C beacon target began an unannounced right turn while the mode C altitude returns indicated a descent until radar coverage was lost about 1837. Palm Springs TRACON controllers were unable to reestablish communications with the pilot after the turn began. Recorded radar data showed the aircraft was about 12 miles east of the Palm Springs VORTAC and inbound on the 088-degree radial when the controllers noted the deviation. The last mode C return for the aircraft was 4,500 feet msl. The aircraft was located early the next morning by Riverside County Sheriff's Deputies near Happy Valley Drive about one block east of Dil
Probable cause
the pilot's spatial disorientation which led to a loss of aircraft control, and exceeding the aircraft's structural design limits after the aircraft had entered a descending spiral. The pilot's lack of instrument flight currency and the dark night were factors in the accident.
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Browse: California · Piper aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
