- Date
- November 8, 1985, 15:40 local (23:40 UTC)
- Place
- Mammoth Lakes, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3096RPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851108059599A
- Case key
- 25017
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 plt reported that when he observed the arpt's wind sock in preparation for departure the wind was blowing down the rwy with occasional gusts that did not seem over 20 KTS. After taking off & climbing to abt 100 ft AGL, the acft encountered turbulence likely associated with a mountain wave condition. The plt stated & a ground- based witness reported that the acft rapidly rolled 90 deg. Rt & descended. Just before colliding with terrain the acft's wings were leveled. No mechanical failures or malfunctions were reported by the plt. 30 min after the crash the arpt's special wx observation listed the presence of standing lenticular altocumulus clds in all quadrants, & the surface winds were 15 KTS gusting to 25 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3096R
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2PR-35665
- Airframe hours
- 4,150
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-CIC, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Paul A. Gordon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 28, 1985 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- MMH · Mammoth Lakes, CA
- Destination
- CCB · Upland, CA
- Airport
- MMH · Mammoth-June Lakes, runway 27, 7,000 × 100 ft
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,081 total · 970 in this make and model · 1,960 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MMH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.