Piper PA-24-250 accident near Death Valley, California, December 23, 1995
On December 23, 1995 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N7304P, was destroyed in an accident near Death Valley, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the non-instrument rated pilot's intentional VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 1995 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Death Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N7304P · no longer on the register · serial 24-2479
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated pilot departed northern California on December 23, 1995, on a cross-country flight to Arizona. He did not file a flight plan. He failed to arrive and a search was initiated without success. On June 27, 1996, microwave technicians spotted the wreckage en route to an antenna site. The aircraft collided with the crest of a ridge line in a near level cruise flight attitude. The emergency locator beacon had been destroyed by impact and postcrash fire damage. A resort in the area had been called during the initial search to see if the pilot landed there as he had in the past. Resort personnel reported that there had been no aircraft traffic that day due to low clouds, rain, and snow showers. The wreckage was located about 16 miles from the resort.
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: 700 hours in all; 23 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A1D5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 0O2 Nervino CA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: HII Lake Havasu AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- 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.