19810228009599A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-32-300 · Escalante, UT · February 28, 1981

Date
February 28, 1981 · 16:00 local
Place
Escalante, UT
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N4243T
NTSB investigation
NTSBDEN81FA033
Reported as
Piper PA32300
Reported engine
Lycoming IO540K1A5
People aboard
5
Fatal injuries
5
Pilot’s flight hours
1,400 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Unable to clear rising terrain. Struck trees on mountain ridge. Was in habit of grazing ridges on climb.

As the FAA filed it

UNABLE TO CLEAR RISING TERRAIN. STRUCK TREES ON MOUNTAIN RIDGE. WAS IN HABIT OF GRAZING RIDGES ON CLIMB.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.