- Date
- September 18, 1988, 13:42 local (20:42 UTC)
- Place
- Big Bear, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N55478Piper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880918061569A
- Case key
- 25865
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
The pilot failed to maintain airspeed during takeoff. Contributing factors related to the high density altitude condition, the aircraft's excessive weight and the pilot's failure to lean the mixture. Also contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper remedial action to affect recovery from the developing stall, his poor judgement, his lack of experience in the airplane, and his impaired physiological condition as it related to his lack of sleep and drug use.
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 night before the accident the plt & 2 pax went gambling. They retired for the evening (morning) between 0315 & 0400. They awoke at about 0830. At 1007 they flew fm bullhead, AZ to Big Bear, CA. When the plt attempted to depart fm the Big Bear arpt he left the mixture control in the full rich position. As the acft transitioned out of ground effect it stalled. The plt held the yoke aft as the acft entered an uncontrolled descent & crashed 1880 ft beyond the runway's end. The front right seated pax video taped the accident flight. The 93-HR total time plt had 33-HRS in make & model acft. No evidence was found of him having received dual instruction in high density altitude takeoffs. The da was in excess of 8500 ft. the acft's certificated max gross weight was exceeded. A box containing marijuana was found in the acft wreckage. Tox results confirmed marijuana in the plt's blood & in the camerman/pax's urine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55478
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7325412
- Airframe hours
- 3,939
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cal State Flying Club
- Registered owner
- B And Associates
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 16, 1988 · 73 hours before
- Departed
- L35 · Big Bear, CA
- Destination
- LGB · Long Beach, CA
- Airport
- L35 · Big Bear City, runway 7, 5,850 × 75 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 93 total · 56 in this make and model · 50 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.