Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Bass Lake, CA
On June 18, 1999, a Piper PA-28R-200 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bass Lake, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 18, 1999
- Place
- Bass Lake, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.379°N, 119.511°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X19016
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 18, 1999, about 0945 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-200, N2706R, collided with trees near Bass Lake, California. Memley Aviation of Fresno, California, operated the rented airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed Fresno-Chandler Downtown Airport about 0855. The pilot, who lived in Bass Lake, told the operator he was taking visiting family members up to take pictures of the lake and then fly over Yosemite National Park. The private pilot and his three passengers sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The first major wreckage pieces investigators discovered were at 37 degrees 22.18 minutes north latitude and 119 degrees 32.46 minutes west longitude. An instructor pilot for the operator stated he conversed with the pilot prior to departure and discussed the pilot's itinerary. The pilot indicated he was going to fly visiting family members over his home near Bass Lake, and then head up into the mountains toward Yosemite National Park. The instructor stated he looked into the fuel tanks and observed fuel in the left tank level with an internal tab and fuel in the right tank about 1 inch above the tab. He estimated about 38 gallons of fuel were onboard at departure. The instructor estimated they would be within gross weight limits and had adequate fuel for he planned flight. He told the pilot that due to the warm temperatures, the pilot should expect slow climb rates above 5,000 feet. He advised the pilot to stay above 8,5
Probable cause
Inadequate in-flight planning and decision making resulted in a failure to maintain clearance from terrain. A factor in the accident was the pilot's low total time and lack of experience in this make and model of airplane.
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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.
