- Date
- September 4, 1993, 14:05 local (21:05 UTC)
- Place
- Hesperia, CA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N5523PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930904033209A
- Case key
- 28465
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 aircraft's encounter with a low level windshear and the pilot's inadequate compensation for the existing wind 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
The airport is located in a bowl shaped depression and is surrounded by trees on all sides. The pilot said that he was on short final approach when the aircraft encountered turbulence and a downdraft. The pilot said that even with the application of full power he was unable to arrest the descent prior to the landing gear colliding with the airport boundary fence. The aircraft owner was on board as a passenger. The owner and the second passenger stated that on final approach the air was very turbulent, especially when the aircraft descended below the tops of the trees which surround the airport. The aircraft owner stated that he thought the aircraft encountered a low level windshear caused by the trees. The closest official weather reporting station is located 49 miles north west of the airport. At the time of the accident, the station was reporting winds from 240 degrees at 18 knots, with gusts to 27 knots.
Factual narrative
On September 4, 1993, at 1405 hours Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250, N5523P, collided with a boundary fence while landing at the Hesperia, California, airport. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The aircraft incurred substantial damage. The certificated private pilot and the two passengers were not injured. The flight originated at El Monte, California, on the day of the mishap, at 1330 hours as a personal cross country flight.
The Hesperia airport is located in a bowl shaped depression and is surrounded by trees on all sides.
In his statement, the pilot said that he was on short final approach when the aircraft encountered turbulence and a down draft. The pilot said that even with the application of full power, he was unable to arrest the descent prior to the landing gear colliding with the airport boundary fence. The aircraft owner was on board as a passenger. The owner and the second passenger stated that on final approach the air was very turbulent, especially when the aircraft descended below the tops of the trees which surround the airport. The aircraft owner stated that he thought the aircraft encountered a low level wind shear caused by the trees.
The closest official weather reporting station is Edwards AFB, which is located 49 miles north west of the Hesperia airport. At the time of the accident, Edwards was reporting winds from 240 degrees at 18 knots, with gusts to 27 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5523P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-586
- Airframe hours
- 4,145
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1D5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert B. Hopkins
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 15, 1992 · 21 hours before
- Departed
- EMT · El Monte, CA
- Airport
- L26 · Hesperia, runway 21, 3,900 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,400 total · 105 in this make and model · 1,150 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 18 knots, gusting 27
- Visibility
- 45 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.