- Date
- May 7, 1988, 07:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Guatay, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4367JPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 9, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880507012999A
- Case key
- 25830
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 maintian VFR while flying in mountainous terrain.
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 received a weather briefing the night prior to planned flight from local fss. The fss specialist informed the pilot of marginal VFR conditions and forecast moderate turbulence. The plt stated he would check the weather in the morning. The next day the pilot checked wx again with the fss. The specialist informed the pilot he did not have current local wx and preceeded to give pilot 24 hr outlook. Turbulence was still forecast. The pilot did not attempt to check local wx conditions prior to flight three hrs later. Witnesses observed acft at 200 feet AGL in and out of ragged bottom of overcast in mountainous terrain. Acft crashed in level attitude north of course heading about 90 deg away from course at 4,700 foot level of a 5,054 foot MSL mountain peak.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4367J
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2822746
- Airframe hours
- 4,538
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E20, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hampshire, Robert J.
- Registered owner
- Robert J Hampshire
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 8, 1987 · 17 hours before
- Departed
- SEE · El Cajon, CA
- Destination
- E14 · Avra Valley, AZ
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 299 total · 299 in this make and model · 267 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SEE, 26 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.