Piper PA-32-300 accident near Kernville, California, October 3, 1993
On October 3, 1993 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N4018W, was destroyed in an accident near Kernville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadvertent flight into a box canyon and his failure to attain a safe altitude. A factor in the accident was the pilot's lack of familiarity with the geographic area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 1993 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kernville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N4018W · registry record · serial 32-40025
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The recently certificated commercial pilot was attending a junior college flying team orientation session and practice safety and flight evaluation conference with two student passengers. At the completion of the event, all aircraft departed in VFR flight conditions for the same destination. Several different routes were flown by the different aircraft through the mountainous terrain. There were three canyon type routes on a more direct course toward the destination. All three had a road in the center of the canyon. On the sectional chart, the preferred canyon route with the lowest terrain was the only one shown with a road depicted. After takeoff, the accident flight followed a road and entered a canyon immediately to the north of the preferred route. The canyon gradually narrowed and eventually ended with an abrupt rise in terrain into a box canyon. The wreckage was found about 2,000 feet below the top of the surrounding terrain.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 229 hours in all; 3 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,545 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1993; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Long Beach Flying Club
The flight
- Destination: POC La Verne CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.