Piper PA-60-601P accident near Scottsdale, AZ
On January 27, 2003, a Piper PA-60-601P (airplane) was involved in an accident near Scottsdale, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 27, 2003
- Place
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60-601P · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.666°N, 111.831°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030207X00186
Official records · LAX03FA076
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
1.1 History of Flight On January 26, 2003, at 2023 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-60-601P, N3636Q, collided with mountainous terrain after takeoff from the Scottsdale, Arizona, airport. The airplane was owned and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The airplane was destroyed in the impact and post crash fire sequence. The instrument rated private pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed with unrestricted visibility; however, the moon was not above the horizon. No flight plan was filed for the personal cross-country flight that originated in San Diego, California, at 1500 Pacific standard time as a flight to Santa Fe, New Mexico, with a planned stop in Scottsdale. According to a Safety Board Sun and Moon location program for the geographic coordinates and altitude of Scottsdale, sunset occurred at 1758, and nautical twilight ended at 1854. At the time of the accident, the moon was 75 degrees below the northeastern horizon. Information was obtained from the following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) facilities: Western Pacific Air Traffic Quality Assurance Division, San Diego Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), Phoenix Terminal Radar Approach Control (PHX TRACON), and Scottsdale Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). The pilot requested and received a preflight weather briefing for the flight from San Diego AFSS and filed an instrument flight rules flight plan from San Diego to Scottsdale. According to the facilities who worked the flight, the instr
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate altitude clearance from mountainous terrain. Contributing factors were dark night conditions, mountainous terrain, and the pilot's diverted attention.
More accidents in AZ
- De Havilland DHC-6-300, Sep 27, 1989
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Browse: Arizona · 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.
