- Date
- February 15, 1993, 14:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Truckee, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N15267Piper PA-32-300
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 25, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930215002429A
- Case key
- 27825
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 continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. The adverse weather conditions contributed to the accident.
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
During his weather briefing the pilot was advised that VFR flight was not recommended due to clouds obscuring the mountains and/or precipitation along the entire route. Witnesses skiing about 3/4 mi from the accident site reported hearing airplane engine sounds overhead; the airplane was not observed due to low clouds and snow flurries. The engine sound abruptly ended with a metallic thud. The airplane had impacted 33 deg upsloping terrain at about 8.600 ft MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15267
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-7340028
- Airframe hours
- 2,011
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-KIA5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Baker, Raymond C. Sr.
- Registered owner
- Baker, Raymond C. Sr.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1992 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- O04 · Carson City, NV
- Destination
- Q88 · Paradise, 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
- 62
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 11 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TRK, 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 N15267 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.