Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Bishop, California, November 6, 1998
On November 6, 1998 at about 10:54 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N2737R, was destroyed in an accident near Bishop, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot-in-command, after encountering a downdraft, to maneuver and maintain clearance from mountainous terrain. Physical impairment due to hypoxia was a factor in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 1998 · about 10:54 pm local time
- Place
- Bishop, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N2737R · no longer on the register · serial 28R-35276
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he intended to fly a direct route from his departure point to the destination, a route that crossed the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Recorded radar data showed the aircraft on a northwesterly heading as it approached the mountain range from the east, cruising VFR at 14,500 feet msl, and approaching 13,558-foot Mount Goddard. Forecast winds aloft were northwesterly approximately 50 knots. In the 9 minutes before the aircraft disappeared from radar, mode-C decoded altitude data showed the aircraft descended from 14,500 feet to 13,200 feet. The wreckage was located near where radar contact was lost at the 13,200-foot level on the mountain side. Two pilot reports stated that the mountain peaks were obscured in clouds. The aircraft cruised above 12,500 feet for more than 50 minutes prior to the accident. There was no supplemental breathing oxygen aboard.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,799 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 1,424 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,334 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1998; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT Las Vegas NV at 8:48 pm
- Destination: MCE Merced CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 15 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from BIH, 24 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.