The airplane was destroyed when it impacted the side of a mountain at about 1126 Pacific time, killing the pilot and three passengers. Visual conditions were prevalent for most of the flight. The pilot had been in contact with the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center; no distress calls were reported. According to radar data, at about 1050, the airplane was at a Mode C altitude of 12,800 feet, in the Palm Springs, California area. At 1118, the altitude was 13,500 feet. The last radar hit was at 1125:38, which showed about a 900-foot-per-minute descent in 12 seconds. The wreckage was found about 150 feet below the peak of an 11,000-foot-high mountain. The airplane impacted a rock outcropping on the northwest face of the mountain. The area was covered in snow, ice and rock. Pilots involved in the search noted high wind conditions in the area at the time of the crash.
November 9, 2008, Forest Falls, Calif., Piper PA-32S-300
The airplane was destroyed when it impacted the side of a mountain at about 1126 Pacific time, killing the pilot and three passengers. Visual conditions were prevalent for most of the flight. The pilot had been in contact with the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center; no distress calls were reported. According to radar data, at about 1050, the airplane was at a Mode C altitude of 12,800 feet, in the Palm Springs, California area. At 1118, the altitude was 13,500 feet. The last radar hit was at 1125:38, which showed about a 900-foot-per-minute descent in 12 seconds.
Key Takeaways:
- An airplane crashed into the side of an 11,000-foot mountain at approximately 11:26 Pacific time, killing the pilot and three passengers.
- The last radar data showed a rapid 900-foot-per-minute descent in the 12 seconds before the final radar hit.
- While visual conditions were prevalent and no distress calls were reported, search pilots noted high wind conditions in the crash area at the time of the incident.
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