Piper PA-23-250 accident near Flagstaff, Arizona, January 8, 2003
On January 8, 2003 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N135LA, was destroyed in an accident near Flagstaff, Arizona (Flagstaff airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to comply with his instrument clearance route instruction and to maintain his assigned altitude. A factor in the accident was the poor quality of radio communications due to the severance of underground fiber optic voice and data lines for the ARTCC, which also affected inter and intra facility landline communications.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 8, 2003 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Flagstaff, Arizona · Flagstaff · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N135LA · registry record · serial 27-7305084
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with trees and mountainous terrain after encountering adverse weather conditions, including clouds, rain, and moderate rime icing. The airplane was on a cross-country flight across northern Arizona and was receiving VFR flight advisories from Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). While en route near Flagstaff at 11,500 feet mean sea level (msl), the pilot advised the controller that he was unable to maintain visual flight due to clouds, rain, and ice, and requested an IFR clearance into Flagstaff. Review of the recorded air-to-ground communications tapes disclosed that the transmission from the airplane was scratchy and of poor quality. The investigation later determined that on the morning of the accident, an underground fiber optic communication line was cut, which disrupted the quality of air-to-ground and ground-to-air communications in northern Arizona, causing broken and garbled services. Landline communications were also affected, which required a nearby Flight Service Station to relay land line messages between the tower and the ARTCC. The controller advised the pilot of rime ice reports at 13,000 feet on his course, and the pilot responded that his altitude was 12,000 feet and he was accumulating some ice. The controller advised the pilot of the airport's location. The pilot's reply was broken and unreadable. The controller asked the pilot if he had the airport in sight, and the pilot responded that no he was in some clouds. The pilot then requested to go to the tower frequency and land, and the controller issued a VFR transponder code and handed the flight off to the tower. About 2 minutes later the pilot reported back to the controller and advised that he was unable to get a visual on the ground and would like to get an IFR clearance into the airport. The controller advised the pilot to climb to 11,000 feet. and enter the published holding pattern southeast of the FLG VOR on the 113-degree radial. The pilot acknowledged the clearance and this was the last communications received from the aircraft. The wreckage was located 10 miles north of the VOR at 8,900 feet msl. Impact signatures and ground scars showed the aircraft collided with mature pine trees in a near wings level attitude while in a shallow descent. A post crash fire destroyed the cockpit, including the navigation radios and related instrumentation. On December 6, 2002, the Flagstaff visual omni range (VOR) navigational aid frequency was changed from 108.2, to 113.85. A partially burned Phoenix sectional chart dated November 1, 2001, was recovered from the wreckage that listed 108.2 as the VOR frequency. No other navigational reference material was recovered from the burned wreckage.
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
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 442 hours in all; 34 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,615 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 25, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-C1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 61B Boulder City NV at 6:00 pm
- Destination: MAF Midland TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 6,999 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 7:10 pm from FLG, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 LAX03FA069.