- Date
- July 28, 1991, 11:50 local (18:50 UTC)
- Place
- Sonora, CA
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N82716Piper PA 28-181
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910728030419A
- Case key
- 27017
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 flight instructor/pilot-in-command to adequately supervise the flight and to maintain adequate airspeed by exceeding the climb performance of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was the pilot-in-command's inadequate planning and his selection of an improper altitude for flight into rising terrain during high density altitude conditions.
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
A certificated flight instructor and two certificated private pilots were participating in a mountain flying training seminar as part of a three airplane flight. The accident airplane was observed following a highway up a canyon towards a 9,600 foot mountain pass. The airplane was observed about 200 feet above the ground, below surrounding canyon walls. The terrain rises rapidly at the end of the canyon. The airplane was observed to make a left turn away from high terrain, pull up into a nose high altitude, and descend from view. The airplane was found to have struck a pine tree with the right wingtip, strike another tree, and then collide with a large rock outcropping at about 9,000 feet mean sea level. An intense post imacct fire consumed almost all of the airplane with the exception of portions of the left wing and tail. The density altitude was about 12,000 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82716
- Reported as
- Piper PA 28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8290141
- Airframe hours
- 5,152
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- West Valley Flying Club Inc.
- Registered owner
- Robert Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 20, 1991 · 86 hours before
- Departed
- PAO · Palo Alto, CA
- Destination
- Q82 · Markleeville, 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
- 30
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,505 total · 1,404 as pilot in command · 197 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TVL, 40 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.