Piper PA-28-140 accident near Phelan, California, December 4, 2002
On December 4, 2002 at about 8:10 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N15969, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phelan, California. It was an instructional 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
the student pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed while maneuvering that lead to a stall spin and impact with flat desert terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 2002 · about 8:10 pm local time
- Place
- Phelan, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N15969 · registry record · serial 28-7325215
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After hearing a loud engine noise, witnesses looked up and observed the accident airplane in a nose down spiral and then impact the ground. According to personnel at the flight school, the student pilot had rented the airplane for two flights, one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. They stated that the morning flight was to practice maneuvers in preparation for his private pilot check ride. The flight school personnel did not know the intended purpose of the afternoon flight. Witnesses on the ground about 1/4-mile southwest of the accident site were attracted to the sound of a loud engine and looked up. The airplane was about 500 feet above the ground in a nose-down spiral that continued to ground impact. The witness did not hear or see anything unusual prior to hearing the loud engine noise. No preimpact anomalies were found during detailed airframe and engine examinations.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 105 hours in all; 37 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,730.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 2002; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APV Apple Valley CA
- Destination: APV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from PMD, 25 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX03FA045.