Piper PA-28-180 accident near Palm Springs, California, July 13, 1996
On July 13, 1996 at about 1:10 am local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N5388L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Palm Springs, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of a propeller blade as a result of undetected in-service mechanical damage that caused a stress point that progressed to a point of failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1996 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Palm Springs, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5388L · no longer on the register · serial 28-4696
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the departure climb about 2,500 feet msl, there was a loud bang, followed by severe airframe vibration. The pilot closed the throttle and pulled the mixture control into idle cutoff. The pilot established a glide and made an uneventful off-airport landing. Postaccident examination revealed that about 20 inches of one propeller blade was missing. The remaining propeller blade and hub was sent the Safety Board's Materials Testing Laboratory for analysis. The analysis report documented a crack progression starting at the blade's trailing edge and migrating forward through about 50 percent of the chord. At that point the blade failed from overload. The report indicated that a mechanical type damage had occurred at the trailing edge crack initiation point. According to the records, at the time of this accident the engine and the propeller had accumulated 307.24 hours since overhaul.
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: 72 hours in all; 43 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,439 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 12, 1996; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sun Air Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: UDD Bermuda Dunes CA at 1:05 am
- Destination: CMA Camarillo CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N5388L the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.