- Date
- April 17, 1988, 10:45 local (17:45 UTC)
- Place
- Essex, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1681JPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880417011459A
- Case key
- 25828
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the pilot to maintain sufficient altitude to ensure terrain clearance while mountain flying.
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 pilot departed on a return leg cross country flight. The flight path was into steeply rising terrain in a box canyon. The weather conditions were conducive for mountain waves with heavy downdrafts on the lee side of mountains. The aircraft wrecakge was found on the lee side of a 7,000 ft ridge. No mechanical malfunctions were found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1681J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28 24082
- Airframe hours
- 2,290
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cadoret, Dollard H.
- Registered owner
- Cadoret, Dollard H Jr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 9, 1987 · 71 hours before
- Departed
- P06 · Bullhead City, AZ
- Destination
- WHP · Pacoima, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 260 total · 240 in this make and model · 163 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- 260° at 23 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EED, 40 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.