Piper PA-28-140 accident near Big Bear Lake, CA
On April 6, 2003, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Big Bear Lake, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 6, 2003
- Place
- Big Bear Lake, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.217°N, 116.934°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030414X00502
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 6, 2003, about 1630 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N8719N, collided with trees and mountainous terrain approximately 5 miles southwest of Big Bear Lake, California. A friend of the pilot owned the airplane and was operating it under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger received fatal injuries. A second passenger received minor injuries. The airplane was destroyed. The flight originated at Big Bear City airport at 1615, and had a final destination of San Diego, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and the pilot received a weather briefing. No flight plan had been filed. The airplane's wreckage was at 34 degrees 13 minutes 10.1 seconds north latitude and 116 degrees 56 minutes 14.5 seconds west longitude. The Big Bear City airport elevation is 6,748 feet mean sea level (msl). The four-place airplane was carrying 3 persons and 107 pounds of baggage. The surviving passenger stated that the pilot told her that they would not get a full load of gas before leaving Big Bear. They would stop at Palomar Airport, Oceanside, California, to fuel up before continuing on to Montgomery airport in San Diego. Fuel receipts indicate that the pilot did take on 6 gallons of fuel at Big Bear City before departure. They took off from runway 26 and flew over the lake. The survivor did not notice the turn to the south that would take them to the accident location. The survivor also stated that everything seemed normal during the flight until just seconds before the accident when she thought that they were "
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate decision regarding a departure route and his failure to maintain clearance with rapidly rising mountainous terrain. A factor in the accident was the pilot's impairment by the effects of exposure to marijuana within the 10-hour period prior to the flight.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
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.
