- Date
- August 17, 1983, 12:27 local (19:27 UTC)
- Place
- Peach Springs, AZ
- Injuries
- 10 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N88LVPiper PA-31-350
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19830817075689A
- Case key
- 15788
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft departed las vegas, NV as the 2nd of 5 acft on a scheduled grand canyon sight-seeing flt. The 1st portion of the flt was over the las vegas strip area & lake mead & was uneventful. However, wx conditions precluded the plt from continuing over the shivwits plateau. Radio conversations between the plt & other company aircrews indicated that the plt of N88LV had encountered deteriorating wx conditions in the canyon & that he had decided to abort the flt & climb out. Later attempts to contact the acft were unsuccessful. The wreckage was found on 8/18/83 where the acft had collided on the west wall of a mesa inside the canyon. A helicopter plt flying about 14 mi north of the crash site reported clouds at ground level (4500 ft MSL). The elevation of the accident site was 6320 ft. shortly before his last transmition, the plt stated he was 'just short of twin peaks.' The plt had transmitted his position from Peach VOR, indicating he was in the area of the crash site. Twin peaks was northeast & had similar terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N88LV
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7752118
- Airframe hours
- 4,325
- Engine
- Lycoming L/TIO-540-J, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Las Vegas Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 7, 1983 · 44 hours before
- Departed
- VGT · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- GCN · Grand Canyon, AZ
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- GCN · Grand Canyon
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,099 total · 1,782 in this make and model · 7,266 as pilot in command · 160 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GCN, 66 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.