At about 09:50 Pacific time, a Piper PA-32R-300 struck a mountain at the 4,800-foot msl level 15 miles south/southeast of Essex, killing the pilot and passenger. The accident site was 34 miles south-southwest of the departure airport. The airport is in a valley and it was clear overhead; however, the mountain tops were obscured above 4,000 feet in dark clouds in all directions. The accident site was on a steep, rocky, desert mountain slope about 100 feet below a local peak. The wreckage was lying at the base of a vertical rock face and there was shiny aluminum debris embedded in the rock face about 50 feet above the resting location of the wreckage.
March 09, Essex, Calif. / Piper Lance
At about 09:50 Pacific time, a Piper PA-32R-300 struck a mountain at the 4,800-foot msl level 15 miles south/southeast of Essex, killing the pilot and passenger. The accident site was 34 miles south-southwest of the departure airport. The airport is in a valley and it was clear overhead; however, the mountain tops were obscured above 4,000 feet in dark clouds in all directions. The accident site was on a steep, rocky, desert mountain slope about 100 feet below a local peak. The wreckage was lying at the base of a vertical rock face and there was shiny aluminum debris embedded in the rock face about 50 feet above the resting location of the wreckage....
Key Takeaways:
- A Piper PA-32R-300 aircraft crashed into a mountain at 4,800 feet MSL, approximately 15 miles south/southeast of Essex, resulting in the fatalities of both the pilot and passenger.
- The accident site was on a steep, rocky mountain slope, with evidence of impact against a vertical rock face about 50 feet above where the main wreckage came to rest.
- Contributing to the accident conditions, mountain tops above 4,000 feet were obscured by dark clouds, despite clear weather overhead at the departure airport located in a valley.
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