19970211001569A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Piper PA-28-161 · Avalon, CA · February 11, 1997

Date: February 11, 1997 · 15:20 local
Place: Avalon, CA
Phase of flight: Unknown/Not Reported
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N8436X
NTSB investigation: NTSBLAX97FAMS2
Reported as: Piper PA28161
Reported engine: Lycoming O320*
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 1
Pilot’s flight hours: 100 in the last 90 days

N8436XRegistration cancelled Jul 24, 1998 · Piper PA-28-161S/N 288116322 Airframe modelPiper PA-28-161

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.

Whale watching, concerned party reported overdue. Search is underway. (.4)according to a friend, the owner/pilot went on a whale watching/spotting flight, and when the aircraft failed to return by a scheduled time, a search was initiated. The aircraft was determined to have landed at santa catalina island. Radar data was obtained for the approximate time of departure. A VFR transponder code, assumed to be the accident aircraft, was tracked after departure from the island. At 1519:19 radar contact was lost over the water. A search by the coast guard was unsuccessful. The aircraft was presumed to have crashed in ocean waters near Avalon, CA; pilot injury was presumed to have been fatal.

As the FAA filed it

WHALE WATCHING, CONCERNED PARTY REPORTED OVERDUE. SEARCH IS UNDERWAY. (.4)ACCORDING TO A FRIEND, THE OWNER/PILOT WENT ON A WHALE WATCHING/SPOTTING FLIGHT, AND WHEN THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO RETURN BY A SCHEDULED TIME, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE LANDED AT SANTA CATALINA ISLAND. RADAR DATA WAS OBTAINED FOR THE APPROXIMATE TIME OF DEPARTURE. A VFR TRANSPONDER CODE, ASSUMED TO BE THE ACCIDENT AIRCRAFT, WAS TRACKED AFTER DEPARTURE FROM THE ISLAND. AT 1519:19 RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST OVER THE WATER. A SEARCH BY THE COAST GUARD WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE CRASHED IN OCEAN WATERS NEAR AVALON, CA; PILOT INJURY WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN FATAL.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB LAX97FAMS2Accident · 1 fatalMissing aircraftFinal reportAvalon, CAundetermined.Feb 11, 1997 · Destroyed