# Accident 19961012032079A: Piper PA28181, San Diego, CA, October 12, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 12, 1996, 03:23 local time
- Place: San Diego, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Scud Running
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.7706° N, 117.1401° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7706&lon=-117.1401&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2501X, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2501X-1997-04-08) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 67 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA013) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961012032079A

## Narrative

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

AIRCRAFT STRUCK POWER LINES AND CRASHED. (.4)ACCORDING TO INFORMATION FROM THE FLYING CLUB THAT HAD OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE, THE AIRPLANE WAS TAKEN WITHOUT PERMISSION BY A STUDENT PILOT, WHO WAS A FORMER MEMBER OF THE CLUB. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. LATER, AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE STUDENT HAD TAKEN THE AIRPLANE AFTER ATTENDING A PARTY WHERE HE MET HIS PASSENGER. AT ABOUT 0045 PDT, THE STUDENT TOOK OFF ON A NIGHT FLIGHT. AFTER ABOUT 2.7 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH HIGH TENSION POWER LINES, WHICH WERE STRUNG DIAGONALLY ACROSS A MAJOR CITY FREEWAY. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS 1.5 MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT, AND THE POWER LINES WERE ABOUT 75 FEET ABOVE THE PAVEMENT. THE 0315 PDT WEATHER AT THE AIRPORT WAS IN PART: 400 FEET OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 3 MILES WITH FOG, AND WIND CALM. A TOXICOLOGY TEST OF THE PILOT'S BLOOD (DRAWN SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT) SHOWED AN ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 80 MG/DL (0.08%). WITNESSES INDICATED THAT THE PILOT HAD BEEN DRINKING BEER AT A PARTY UNTIL ALMOST MIDNIGHT.

## 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 LAX97LA013](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97LA013), Oct 12, 1996: Piper PA-28-181 (N2501X), San Diego, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: the student pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol, his subsequent flight into adverse weather conditions, and his failure to maintain clearance from obstructions (power…

## Other reports on N2501X (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 19931223047199A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19931223047199A), Dec 23, 1993: Piper PA28181 (N2501X), San Diego, CA, Substantial damage. Struck powerlines one mile short of runway landing. Recovered and made runway. Pilot blamed windshear. Not verified

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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