Piper PA-32S-300 accident near Forest Falls, CA
On November 9, 2008, a Piper PA-32S-300 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Forest Falls, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 9, 2008
- Place
- Forest Falls, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32S-300 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.102°N, 116.834°W
- NTSB ID
- 20081110X70048
Official records · WPR09FA034
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Excerpt FAA ATC - Transcript of Radio Communications: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
- ATC 3 - Attachment 1 - Radar Track (NTSB): Document (PPT), on ntsb.gov
- Audio File - CD ATC 2 - Attachment: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 9, 2008, about 1125 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-32S-300, N312AG, impacted the side of a mountain in the San Bernardino Mountain range, near Forest Falls, California. The pilot/owner operated the airplane under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. The pilot and three passengers were killed; the airplane was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions were prevalent for most of the flight that departed San Felipe International Airport (SFH), Baja, Mexico, about 0700, with an intended destination of Hesperia Airport (L26), Hesperia, California. No flight plan had been filed. The pilot was in contact with Los Angeles Center, and was issued two discreet Mode 3 transponder codes of 0205 and 4767. At 1051, the pilot input a transponder code of 0205, in the area of Coachella, California. At 1118, over the San Bernardino Mountains, the pilot changed the transponder code to 4767, and approximately 7 minutes later, the last Mode C radar was recorded at 12,500 feet near the accident location. There were no distress calls made by the pilot. Concerned family members of the pilot and passengers reported the overdue flight to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA issued an ALNOT (Alert Notification). Following the issuance of the ALNOT on the day of the accident, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Aviation Division had to suspend its search along the proposed flight path due to a storm front passing through the San Bernardino Mountains. The following morning the search resumed an
Probable cause
The pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions and subsequent impact with 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.
