# Accident 20031207033189A: Piper PA28R200, Chino Hills, CA, December 7, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 7, 2003, 17:08 local time
- Place: Chino Hills, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.9136° N, 117.7306° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.9136&lon=-117.7306&mi=10
- Aircraft: N16264, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N16264-2006-05-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28R-200 (registry code 7102811, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28r-200) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28R200
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 483 total, 357 in this make and model, 31 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX04FA061](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04FA061) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20031207033189A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON DECEMBER 7, 2003, AT APPROXIMATELY 1708 PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA28R-200, N16264, COLLIDED WITH HILLY TERRAIN ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHINO, CALIFORNIA. THE AIRPLANE, WHICH WAS DESTROYED, WAS OPERATED BY THE OWNER/PILOT. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE FATALLY INJURED. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT OPERATING UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS ORIGINATED AT LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA, AT 1649, AND WAS DESTINED FOR CORONA, CALIFORNIA. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE ACCIDENT AREA, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED LONG BEACH IN VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) CONDITIONS WITH A 1,300-FOOT OVERCAST. AT 1653, THE PILOT CONTACTED THE FULLERTON (FUL) AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER FOR TRANSITIONING THROUGH THEIR AIRSPACE. AT 1700, THE PILOT REQUESTED A FREQUENCY CHANGE FROM THE FULLERTON FREQUENCY AND THE LAST RECORDED RADAR CONTACT WAS 1707. THE FUL WEATHER WAS VFR WITH A 1,700-FOOT OVERCAST. CHINO'S (CNO) WEATHER OBSERVATION FACILITY REPORTED THE WEATHER CONDITIONS AT 1653 TO BE LOW CLOUD CONDITIONS, THIN BROKEN, AT 900-FOOT AGL WITH A 1500-FOOT OVERCAST. SEPARATING THE LONG BEACH AND CORONA AIRPORTS ARE A RANGE OF LOW HILLS, WHICH RISE TO 1,781 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL). THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 1,400 FEET MSL AND LOCATED IN THE CHINO HILLS STATE PARK. SUBSEQUENT TEAR DOWN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE CONDUCTED BY THE NTSB AND THE OEM'S REVEALED NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS.

## 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 LAX04FA061](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04FA061), Dec 8, 2003: Piper PA-28R-200 (N16264), Chino Hills, CA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision by which he conducted VFR flight into night instrument meteorological conditions. Mountainous terrain, dark night conditions and the pilot's failure…

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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