Piper PA 28R-180 accident near Morongo Valley, CA

On October 17, 2015, a Piper PA 28R-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Morongo Valley, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

October 17, 2015

Place

Morongo Valley, CA

Aircraft

Piper PA 28R-180 · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

34.116°N, 116.707°W

NTSB ID

20151017X04139

Official records · WPR16FA014

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• Palm Springs Local Control - Clearance Delivery Audio: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Palm Springs Local Control - Ground Audio: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Palm Springs Local Control - Tower Audio: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control Audio 2210 to 2300Z - Shelf Item: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 17, 2015, at 1552 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA28R-180, N4972J, impacted mountainous terrain near Morongo Valley, California. The private pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries; the airplane was destroyed. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The cross-country personal flight departed Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), Palm Springs, California, at 1513, with a planned destination of Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, Santa Barbara, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport, and no flight plan had been filed. Earlier on the day of the accident, the pilot and passenger flew the airplane from their home base of Santa Barbara to Palm Springs in order to visit a museum. According to friends, the original planned departure time for the flight to Palm Springs was 0900; however, due to weather conditions, they departed just before noon and arrived about 1330. Radar data revealed that the route of the outbound flight was via Santa Paula, Valencia, and Acton, then across the east-west mountain range of the Angeles National Forest, across the Los Angeles Basin, and through the Banning Pass to Palm Springs. For the return trip, the pilot requested visual flight rules (VFR) flight following from the clearance delivery controller at Palm Springs and reported that his route of flight back to Santa Barbara would be along a northern route via Palmdale. He initially requested an altitude of 7,500 ft mean sea level (msl) and

Probable cause

The non-instrument rated pilot's improper inflight decision-making to attempt to outclimb clouds along his planned route rather than reverse course, which resulted in his inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions, spatial disorientation, and a resultant loss of control. The pilot's preexisting medical conditions and his use of impairing medications contributed to his degraded per

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

See it on the map

Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.