- Date
- September 17, 1989, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Mammoth Lakes, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N3929FPiper PA-32R-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890917035139A
- Case key
- 26503
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's improper compensation for the existing wind condition and his failure to maintain airspeed. Factors that related to the accident were: the gusty & cross-winds and high density altitude.
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 he executed a normal takeoff fm rwy 27 & used left aileron pressure to compensate for the gusty & x-wind condition. At the time of departure the density altitude was over 8200 ft. the wind was from 180 deg at 35 KTS. The plt did not indicate that he used high density altitude takeoff techniques or that he adjusted his initial rate of climb airspeed to compensate for the gusty wind condition. The acft lifted off, climbed to 20 ft AGL, encountered the gusty wind, and collided with terrain adjacent to the side of the rwy.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3929F
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7680420
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Richer, Everett C.
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Destination
- F70 · Rancho Calif., CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- MMH · Mammoth 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
- 58
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 351 total · 150 in this make and model · 296 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 25 knots, gusting 40
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point -0 °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.