Piper PA-32-300 accident near Fullerton, California, November 20, 1995
On November 20, 1995 at about 2:34 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-300, registered N888JK, was destroyed in an accident near Fullerton, California (Fullerton Municipal airport). 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 pilot-in-command's failure to follow IFR procedures in that he descended below the minimum descent altitude and failed to execute a missed approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot-in-command's self-induced pressure to get to work.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 1995 · about 2:34 pm local time
- Place
- Fullerton, California · Fullerton Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-300 · all PA-32-300s on the register
- Registration
- N888JK · no longer on the register · serial 32-7240093
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated pilot and CFII were on a localizer instrument approach. The airplane did not have a DME, and the pilots had requested and were advised by approach control when they were over the final approach fix. The airplane descended below the minimum descent altitude and collided with a telephone pole and an apartment building about 1 mile short of the runway. The weather was indefinite 100 feet, with visibility 1/4 mile in fog. The paraplegic CFII required special rudder controls to fly the airplane; the airplane was not equipped with the controls. The CFII was due at his normal workplace near the airport about 25 minutes after the accident time. One person on the ground was fatally injured.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,640 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 14, 1995; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-KIG5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: L35 Big Bear CA
- Destination: FUL CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,120 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from FUL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.