Piper PA-28-140 accident near Tehachapi, CA
On April 18, 2007, a Piper PA-28-140 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tehachapi, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- April 18, 2007
- Place
- Tehachapi, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 35.059°N, 118.514°W
- NTSB ID
- 20070501X00490
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 18, 2007, at 0728 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N8168N, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Tehachapi, California. The airline transport pilot and his passenger were killed. Memley Aviation Inc. of Fresno, California, was operating the aircraft under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. A flight plan had not been filed for the personal, cross-country flight, which had originated from Fresno, California, about 0630. The intended destination was Lancaster, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the departure from Fresno. Residents in the vicinity of the accident site reported instrument meteorological conditions prevailed on the morning of the accident. The pilot's wife said that the airplane departed about 0630. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) radar first detected the airplane at 0638:51, at 3,300 feet mean sea level (msl), immediately south of Fresno, California. The last radar return was at 0727:42, about 1 nautical mile (nm) short of the impact site. The airplane was at 6,900 feet msl, traveling at a ground speed of 130 knots, and on a heading of 140 degrees magnetic. The United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, received a satellite relayed Emergency Locator Transmitter signal, in the Tehachapi area, at 0836. Concerned family members of the pilot and passenger called authorities at approximately 1300. Search and rescue members spotted the downed aircraft on April 19, 2007 at approximately 0700. There were no witnesses to th
Probable cause
The pilot's VFR flight into IMC and his ensuing failure to maintain terrain clearance. Contributing factors were the cloudy weather conditions and the mountainous terrain.
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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.
