# Accident 19961222039629A: Piper PA23250, Lucerne Valley, CA, December 22, 1996

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 22, 1996, 10:44 local time
- Place: Lucerne Valley, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: C3DA
- Location: 34.5209° N, 116.8793° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.5209&lon=-116.8793&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2377T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2377T-2017-06-21) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-23-250 (registry code 7102308, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA23250
- Reported engine: LYC O540A1B5
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 4
- Pilot flight hours: 1,478 total, 100 in this make and model, 120 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97FA070](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97FA070) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19961222039629A

## Narrative

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

ICING CONDITIONS TURBULENCE AND CABIN DOOR POPPED OPEN. OBSERVED LOW. ROLLED INVERTED. DOVE INTO GROND. BURNED.

## 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 LAX97FA070](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97FA070), Dec 22, 1996: Piper PA-23-250 (N2377T), Lucerne Valley, CA, destroyed, 4 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed after encountering turbulence, low level wind shear, and an open door.

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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