In December 2019, a Canadian-registry Piper Aerostar 602P with three aboard left Cabo San Lucas in Baja California, Mexico, to return home to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. The group stopped overnight at Chino, California, east of Los Angeles—perhaps to visit the aviation museum there—and continued the next day to Nanaimo with a stop at Bishop, California. They left Bishop at 2:25 in the afternoon (1425 PST) on an IFR flight plan.
Classic Aftermath: An Attitude Indicator Fails at the Worst Time
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper Aerostar crashed during an IFR approach at night in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) after its pilot reported a failure of the attitude indicator, resulting in the death of all three occupants.
- Despite the presence of a highly experienced pilot and air traffic control vectors, the aircraft exhibited erratic flight patterns, suggesting severe pilot disorientation and a loss of control.
- The accident underscores the critical difficulty of flying "partial panel" (without a primary attitude indicator) during IFR flight, particularly during a critical phase like an approach, and highlights the need for robust training for such emergencies.
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