Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Palm Springs, California, March 8, 1991
On March 8, 1991 at about 7:30 am local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N711PE, was destroyed in an accident near Palm Springs, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INCAPACITATION OF THE PILOT DUE TO INADEQUATE SLEEP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 1991 · about 7:30 am local time
- Place
- Palm Springs, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N711PE · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7680292
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED FOR WORK AT 0200 HOURS AND FLEW ON A LEG OF A CARGO FLIGHT FROM BURBANK, CA TO PHOENIX, AZ. HE WENT TO A COMPANY APARTMENT FOR CREW REST ARRIVING THERE AT ABOUT 0600-0630. HE GOT ABOUT 5 HOURS SLEEP, WAKING AT ABOUT 1200 HOURS. HE FLEW THE RETURN LEG OF THE OPERATION, TAKING OFF AT 2055 HOURS. AT 2230 HOURS, AFTER MAINTAINING A CONSTANT AIRSPEED, HEADING, AND ALTITUDE, HE COLLIDED WITH A MOUNTAIN. THE MOUNTAIN WAS ABOUT 10 NAUTICAL MILES SOUTH OF HIS USUAL COURSE. NO EVIDENCE COULD BE FOUND TO INDICATE THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE MOUNTAIN. THE AIRCRAFT AND ALL COMPONENTS WERE EXAMINED, WITH NO DEFICIENCIES BEING NOTED. ANOTHER PILOT AT THE COMPANY APARTMENT REPORTED THAT A BOX OF 'DIMETAPP' DECONGESTION PILLS WERE ON THE PILOT'S SHAVING KIT AND THAT TWO PILLS WERE MISSING.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,315 hours in all; 228 in this make and model; 228 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 2,273 as pilot in command; 1,299 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G50 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Wings Express, INC
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ at 4:55 am
- Destination: BUR Burbank CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.