Piper PA-28-181 accident near Bangor, California, June 8, 1998
On June 8, 1998 at about 3:04 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N9703C, was destroyed in an accident near Bangor, California. 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's attempted flight into instrument meteorological conditions, loss of spatial orientation, and the resultant loss of airplane control. Contributing factors were his improper preflight and in-flight decisions, overconfidence in his personal ability, and the low ceiling. An additional factor was the radar controller's substantial deviation from prescribed procedures for handling VFR aircraft in weather difficulty.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1998 · about 3:04 pm local time
- Place
- Bangor, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N9703C · no longer on the register · serial 28-7890438
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had logged 1,600 total flight hours, of which 1,100 hours were flown in his autopilot equipped airplane. The pilot and his passenger/wife, also a pilot with over 300 flight hours, planned to fly northward from Lincoln, California, to Bend, Oregon. Neither pilot was instrument rated. FSS provided the pilot with a weather briefing indicating flight precautions for mountain obscurement and thunderstorms. Weather conditions along the planned route included multiple cloud layers at 2,000 and 4,000 feet msl, and light rain showers. The pilot informed the FSS briefer that he could fly in IMC. After a 0740 takeoff the pilot requested and received VFR radar flight following service, encountered the clouds, and commenced flight in IMC while continuing toward his intended destination. At 0759:28, the pilot advised the Oakland ARTCC controller that he was in the clouds and on autopilot. The controller advised the pilot to 'use caution and maintain VFR.' The pilot again informed the controller that he was in the clouds and VFR flight was not possible, to which the controller responded at 0800:51 by stating 'maintain VFR.' Then, the controller provided the pilot with directions to an airport ahead with unknown weather conditions. The controller observed the airplane's 2,400-foot altitude and was aware that the minimum instrument altitude for the area was at least 5,000 feet. Contrary to requirements specified in the FAA's Air Traffic Control Order 7110.65, the controller failed to perform his first duty priority by not properly assisting the pilot in an emergency. The controller provided the pilot with a bearing to an airport south of his position necessitating a course reversal turn while proceeding in IMC, and he neglected to issue a safety alert for terrain proximity or give climb instructions to an area where flight under VFR was likely possible. Seconds after the pilot received the turn instructions he became disoriented, lost control of the airplane, and in an inverted attitude impacted the underlying hilly terrain. About 8 months prior to the accident flight the 78-year-old pilot's high blood pressure (180/90) was reduced with prescription drug treatment. Insufficient specimens remained for definitive autopsies or toxicological tests. No mechanical malfunctions were found with the airplane.
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: 1,600 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 2 in the last 30 days; 1,530 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 10, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LHM Lincoln CA at 2:40 pm
- Destination: S21 Sunriver OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from BAB, 17 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.
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.