Piper PA 14 accident near Susanville, CA
On August 15, 2020, a Piper PA 14 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Susanville, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- August 15, 2020
- Place
- Susanville, CA
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 14 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.377°N, 120.573°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200815X84754
Official records · WPR20LA270
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn August 15, 2020, about 1340 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-14 airplane, N91449, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Susanville Municipal Airport (SVE), Susanville, California. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to a friend of the pilot who also witnessed the accident, he, the pilot, and the pilot-rated passenger planned to fly over a landmark in the Nevada desert and then stay overnight in a campground north of SVE. The friend was in his own airplane, while the pilot and passenger were in the accident airplane, which was owned by the accident pilot. They departed Redding Municipal Airport (RDD), Redding, California about 0930 and flew east, making an intermediate stop at SVE. The friend landed on the airport’s only asphalt runway and the accident pilot landed on the dirt runway. After lunch they returned to the airport and boarded their airplanes. The accident airplane’s takeoff run was not observed. While the witness was taxiing to the asphalt runway, he witnessed the accident airplane about 350 ft above ground level about midfield in a steep left bank angle. The airplane immediately transitioned into a nose down pitch attitude and descended rapidly toward the ground. The friend, a certified flight instructor, stated that the sequence resembled an aerodynamic stall/spin. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot’s flight logbook was not recovered, but according to a friend, the pilot had likely accrued about
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to conduct a steep departure at a high-density altitude and the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during a climb, which resulted in an accelerated stall and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the installation of a high pitch angle propeller that was not designed for the installed engine which likely degraded the airplane’s performa
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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.
