- Date
- August 6, 1989, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Toms Place, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6274WPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890806029509A
- Case key
- 26239
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 attain sufficient altitude to clear terrain obstructions before entering a high elevation basin. Contributing to the accident was a high density altitude which reduced the aircraft's climb performance to less than the rate of climb of the 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 aircraft entered a high elevation basin located above 10,000 feet MSL in the mountains. The rim of the basin was determined to be above 12,500 feet. The density altitude at 10,500 feet MSL was about 12,500 feet. The aircraft's best rate of climb was less than 400 feet per mile. The floor of the basin rose in elevation about 400 feet per mile in the area of the accident site. The aircraft collided with the terrain. There was no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction with the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6274W
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-20323
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Abou-Hamad, Redwan
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- FAT · Fresno, CA
- Destination
- MMH · Mammoth Lakes, CA
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 110 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MMH, 12 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.
Other investigations on N6274W · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.