Piper PA-28-140 accident near Bridgeport, California, December 22, 2006
On December 22, 2006 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N8001H, was destroyed in an accident near Bridgeport, 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
The pilot's attempted VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and subsequent failure to maintain aircraft control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was mountain obscuration.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 2006 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Bridgeport, 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
- N8001H · registry record · serial N8001H
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
There were no known witnesses to the accident. The non-instrument rated pilot was on a cross-country flight over mountainous terrain. There was an Airmen's Meteorological Information (AIRMET) advisory for mountain obscuration by clouds, precipitation, mist, and fog that included the area along the route of flight. A radar target that transited the expected flight path from the departure point at the time of the airplane's flight displayed climbs and descents consistent with attempts to avoid clouds. The airplane collided with the mountainous terrain in an extreme nose down attitude at high velocity. Investigators discovered no anomalies with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 132 hours in all
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: O43 Yerington NV
- Destination: O26 Lone Pine CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from MMH, 45 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.
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.