- Date
- February 16, 1991, 19:02 local (Feb 17, 1991, 02:02 UTC)
- Place
- Fredonia, AZ
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4384LPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910216002619A
- Case key
- 26980
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 inattention to the airspeed and subsequent loss of aircraft control after attempting VFR flight into adverse weather conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to recognize his limitations of his aircraft.
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 22 year old pilot and his three passengers departed on a three day excursion of bryce and the grand canyon. The pilot had logged about 72 hours of flight time. The rented aircraft departed at night 68 pounds over gross and 1 inch aft of the most rearward allowable c.g. limit. After reaching their first destination and spending the day sightseeing, they departed again at night for the grand canyon. The weather was marginal with snow showers. The planned 56 minute leg was tracked on radar for a total of 1 hour and 39 minutes, a meandering and undulating track up to 13400 feet MSL was recorded. The aircraft departed with 1 hour and 40 minutes of fuel in each tank. At the accident site the right tank was full and the left tank was empty. The fuel selector was on the left tank. The aircraft impacted mountainous terrain at about 7000 feet MSL in a flat spin.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4384L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8590021
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- South Bay Aviation Inc.
- Registered owner
- Thomas Nosek
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- BCE · Bryce Canyon, UT
- Destination
- GCN · Grand Canyon, 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
- 22
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 72 total · 35 in this make and model · 40 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 250° at 16 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Observed at
- BCE, 75 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.