Piper PA-28-181 accident near Lytle Creek, California, June 4, 2001
On June 4, 2001 at about 2:32 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N8253W, was destroyed in an accident near Lytle Creek, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Undetermined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2001 · about 2:32 am local time
- Place
- Lytle Creek, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N8253W · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On June 3, 2001, sometime after 1932 hours Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Piper PA-28-181, N8253W, became missing in the vicinity of Lytle Creek, California, on a flight from Perris Valley to Laverne, California. The airplane departed Perris Valley Airport at 1915 en route to Brackett Field in Laverne. Air Desert Pacific operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91, and rented it to the pilot for a personal flight. The operator reported the airplane was overdue on June 6 and the airplane had not been located as of June 14. The private pilot, the sole occupant, is missing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. No additional information is available.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Air Desert Pacific
The flight
- Departed from: L65 Perris CA at 2:15 am
- Destination: POC Laverne CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 250° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from ONT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8253W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.