# Accident 19880417011459A: Piper PA28140, Essex, CA, April 17, 1988

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 17, 1988, 10:45 local time
- Place: Essex, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.9604° N, 115.3091° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.9604&lon=-115.3091&mi=10
- Aircraft: N1681J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N1681J-1989-04-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-140 (registry code 7102802, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28140
- Reported engine: LYC O320E2B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 280 total, 248 in this make and model, 48 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX88FA168](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX88FA168) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19880417011459A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

STRUCK VERTICAL ROCK WALL ON MOUNTAINSIDE. WAS FLYING UP DEAD END CANYON. SEVERE GUSTY WIND. LEE WIND CONDITION.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX88FA168](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX88FA168), Apr 17, 1988: Piper PA-28-140 (N1681J), Essex, CA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE TO ENSURE TERRAIN CLEARANCE WHILE MOUNTAIN FLYING.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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