What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) 0901 N428FL called gillespie (see) requesting a clearance to taxi for a VFR departure. The pilot reported that he had received information "zulu" from the see ATIS. N428FL received clearance to taxi to runway 27R or 27L. At 0905 local time, N428FL was at runway 27R and requested a right downwind departure. See local control cleared 428FL for takeoff on runway 27R. privacy data omittedExecuted a right turn and proceeded north bound. A short time later, witnesses heard the impact when N428FL crashed into iron mountain. The a/c struck the mountain approx. 100 feet below the summit killing privacy data omittedthe only occupant of the a/c. (.4) on August 27, 2000, at 0914 hours pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N428FL, was destroyed when the airplane impacted terrain on iron mountain near Poway, California. The commercial certificated pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The aircraft departed from gillespie field, el cajon, California, about 0905. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at gillespie field; however, witnesses near the accident location said low clouds and fog prevailed there. No flight plan was filed for the personal f light, which was operated by the owner under 14 CFR part 91. The destination is unknown; however, the prior evening the pilot received an outlook briefing for a flight to olympia, Washington. A witness, who held a private pilot certificate, was hiking with friends atop iron mountain and heard the aircraft approach and impact the mountain about 200 to 300 yards from his position. The witness reported that there was a solid stratus cloud layer in the valley below with the cloud tops about 100 feet below the peak of iron mountain [2,696 feet mean sea level (MSL)]. As he listened, the airplane approached from the south and passed nearby to the west of his position. The aircraft was nearby but was not visible; it was either in the clouds or below them. The engine "was running healthy and normally at or near full power". Next he heard a "loud, muffled thud," there was an explosion, and then an orange fireball was visible from near the top of the clouds. The aircraft had impacted on the south face of a ridgeline extending west from the peak of iron mountain, about 100 feet below the crest of the ridgeline. The witness reported, "the crash site was just above the top of the fog [stratus] layer."in conversations with the safety board investigator, the same witness elaborated that, from his perspective on the peak of iron mountain, tops of the overcast layer were near the elevation of the peak and the stratus deck was solid in all directions, in particular, to the south and southwest. He was accustomed to the sound made by the Piper PA-28 aircraft and was certain that the aircraft passed very near, to the west of his location. He was also certain that, had it been above or in the top of the clouds, he would have seen it. It was either in the clouds or below the clouds. The fireball he observed emanated from the area where the tops of the clouds met the mountainside. When he went to the accident site, the airplane was at an elevation that placed it just at the top of the clouds but still in the fog layer.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) 0901 N428FL CALLED GILLESPIE (SEE) REQUESTING A CLEARANCE TO TAXI FOR A VFR DEPARTURE. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD RECEIVED INFORMATION "ZULU" FROM THE SEE ATIS. N428FL RECEIVED CLEARANCE TO TAXI TO RUNWAY 27R OR 27L. AT 0905 LOCAL TIME, N428FL WAS AT RUNWAY 27R AND REQUESTED A RIGHT DOWNWIND DEPARTURE. SEE LOCAL CONTROL CLEARED 428FL FOR TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 27R. ^PRIVACY D^EXECUTED A RIGHT TURN AND PROCEEDED NORTH BOUND. A SHORT TIME LATER, WITNESSES HEARD THE IMPACT WHEN N428FL CRASHED INTO IRON MOUNTAIN. THE A/C STRUCK THE MOUNTAIN APPROX. 100 FEET BELOW THE SUMMIT KILLING ^PRIVACY DA^THE ONLY OCCUPANT OF THE A/C. (.4) ON AUGUST 27, 2000, AT 0914 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A PIPER PA-28-140, N428FL, WAS DESTROYED WHEN THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TERRAIN ON IRON MOUNTAIN NEAR POWAY, CALIFORNIA. THE COMMERCIAL CERTIFICATED PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM GILLESPIE FIELD, EL CAJON, CALIFORNIA, ABOUT 0905. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT GILLESPIE FIELD; HOWEVER, WITNESSES NEAR THE ACCIDENT LOCATION SAID LOW CLOUDS AND FOG PREVAILED THERE. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL F LIGHT, WHICH WAS OPERATED BY THE OWNER UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. THE DESTINATION IS UNKNOWN; HOWEVER, THE PRIOR EVENING THE PILOT RECEIVED AN OUTLOOK BRIEFING FOR A FLIGHT TO OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON. A WITNESS, WHO HELD A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE, WAS HIKING WITH FRIENDS ATOP IRON MOUNTAIN AND HEARD THE AIRCRAFT APPROACH AND IMPACT THE MOUNTAIN ABOUT 200 TO 300 YARDS FROM HIS POSITION. THE WITNESS REPORTED THAT THERE WAS A SOLID STRATUS CLOUD LAYER IN THE VALLEY BELOW WITH THE CLOUD TOPS ABOUT 100 FEET BELOW THE PEAK OF IRON MOUNTAIN [2,696 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL)]. AS HE LISTENED, THE AIRPLANE APPROACHED FROM THE SOUTH AND PASSED NEARBY TO THE WEST OF HIS POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NEARBY BUT WAS NOT VISIBLE; IT WAS EITHER IN THE CLOUDS OR BELOW THEM. THE ENGINE "WAS RUNNING HEALTHY AND NORMALLY AT OR NEAR FULL POWER". NEXT HE HEARD A "LOUD, MUFFLED THUD," THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION, AND THEN AN ORANGE FIREBALL WAS VISIBLE FROM NEAR THE TOP OF THE CLOUDS. THE AIRCRAFT HAD IMPACTED ON THE SOUTH FACE OF A RIDGELINE EXTENDING WEST FROM THE PEAK OF IRON MOUNTAIN, ABOUT 100 FEET BELOW THE CREST OF THE RIDGELINE. THE WITNESS REPORTED, "THE CRASH SITE WAS JUST ABOVE THE TOP OF THE FOG [STRATUS] LAYER."IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATOR, THE SAME WITNESS ELABORATED THAT, FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE ON THE PEAK OF IRON MOUNTAIN, TOPS OF THE OVERCAST LAYER WERE NEAR THE ELEVATION OF THE PEAK AND THE STRATUS DECK WAS SOLID IN ALL DIRECTIONS, IN PARTICULAR, TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST. HE WAS ACCUSTOMED TO THE SOUND MADE BY THE PIPER PA-28 AIRCRAFT AND WAS CERTAIN THAT THE AIRCRAFT PASSED VERY NEAR, TO THE WEST OF HIS LOCATION. HE WAS ALSO CERTAIN THAT, HAD IT BEEN ABOVE OR IN THE TOP OF THE CLOUDS, HE WOULD HAVE SEEN IT. IT WAS EITHER IN THE CLOUDS OR BELOW THE CLOUDS. THE FIREBALL HE OBSERVED EMANATED FROM THE AREA WHERE THE TOPS OF THE CLOUDS MET THE MOUNTAINSIDE. WHEN HE WENT TO THE ACCIDENT SITE, THE AIRPLANE WAS AT AN ELEVATION THAT PLACED IT JUST AT THE TOP OF THE CLOUDS BUT STILL IN THE FOG LAYER.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.