Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Lone Pine, California, April 27, 1984
On April 27, 1984 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N56981, was destroyed in an accident near Lone Pine, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 1984 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Lone Pine, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N56981 · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7435069
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHEN THE ACFT DID NOT RETURN FROM A X-COUNTRY FLT, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. HOWEVER, THE ACFT WAS NOT FOUND UNTIL HIKERS DISCOVERED THE WRECKAGE ON 6/29/84. IMPACT OCCURRED AT ABOUT THE 9000 FT LEVEL IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. THE OUTER WING PANELS & HORIZONTAL STABILATORS WERE FOUND AT A REMOTE DISTANCE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. AN EXAM OF THE FRACTURE SURFACES REVEALED NO PREEXISTING CRACKS. PRIOR TO THE FLT, THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE FORCASTED TO BE OBSCURED WITH BROKEN TO OVERCAST CLOUD BASES AT 8000 TO 10,000 FT. CLOUD TOPS WERE FORCASTED TO BE IN THE VICINITY OF 20,000 FT. SNOW SHOWERS WERE EXPECTED ABOVE THE FREEZING LEVEL.
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: 250 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 170 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,074 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 13, 1984; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAC Sacramento CA at 3:07 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from BIH, 60 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.