# Accident 19881224057089A: Piper PA28161, Yucca, AZ, December 24, 1988

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 24, 1988, 23:20 local time
- Place: Yucca, AZ
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.7602° N, 114.0095° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.7602&lon=-114.0095&mi=10
- Aircraft: N9276M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9276M-1991-02-28) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-161 (registry code 7102803, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-161) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28161
- Reported engine: LYC O320D3G
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 108 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX89FA074](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89FA074) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19881224057089A

## Narrative

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

VFR PILOT CONTINUED FLIGHT AT DARK NIGHT INTO IMC LOST CONTROL AND IMPACTED GROUND AT HIGH SPEED. NO WX BRIEFING.

## 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 LAX89FA074](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89FA074), Dec 25, 1988: Piper PA-28-161 (N9276M), Yucca, AZ, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDED THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT DECISION WHICH WAS RELATED TO HIS OVERCONFIDENCE IN HIS PERSONAL ABILITY, SPATIAL…

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.