Piper PA-28-181 accident near San Diego, California, October 12, 1996
On October 12, 1996 at about 10:23 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N2501X, was destroyed in an accident near San Diego, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol, his subsequent flight into adverse weather conditions, and his failure to maintain clearance from obstructions (power lines). Factors related to the accident were: darkness, low ceiling, and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1996 · about 10:23 am local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N2501X · registry record · serial 28-8590079
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to information from the flying club that had operational control of the airplane, the airplane was taken without permission by a student pilot, who was a former member of the club. A police report was filed. Later, an investigation revealed that the student had taken the airplane after attending a party where he met his passenger. At about 0045 PDT, the student took off on a night flight. After about 2.7 hours of flight time, the airplane collided with high tension power lines, which were strung diagonally across a major city freeway. The accident site was 1.5 miles from the departure airport, and the power lines were about 75 feet above the pavement. The 0315 PDT weather at the airport was in part: 400 feet overcast, visibility 3 miles with fog, and wind calm. A toxicology test of the pilot's blood (drawn shortly after the accident) showed an alcohol level of 80 mg/dl (0.08%). Witnesses indicated that the pilot had been drinking beer at a party until almost midnight.
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: student
- Flight time: 67 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,733 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 16, 1996; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYF at 7:45 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 am from SAN, 5 miles away
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 N2501X 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.