North American T-28C accident near Joshua Tree, California, February 4, 1999
On February 4, 1999 at about 10:40 pm local time, a North American T-28C, registered N128BJ, was destroyed in an accident near Joshua Tree, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to attempt flight into an area of known adverse weather and the subsequent inadvertent VFR flight into IFR conditions resulting in an in-flight collision with mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 1999 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Joshua Tree, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- North American T-28C · all T-28Cs on the register
- Registration
- N128BJ · registry record · serial 140509
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the lead aircraft in the two-aircraft formation received a preflight weather briefing that included an AIRMET for mountain obscuration throughout the intended area of flight. The area forecast was for broken ceilings at 1,500 to 2,500 feet and a second broken layer at 3,000 to 5,000 feet. When the aircraft did not arrive at their destination, a search was initiated and the two airplanes were found on a mountain slope at 5,300 feet msl. The lead aircraft impacted the slope about 250 feet below a ridgeline. The wingman impacted on the same slope approximately 220 feet further up the slope and offset 30 feet to the right. Park service rangers reported that weather near the accident site at the time consisted of overcast clouds with the tops of the mountains intermittently obscured in clouds, snow, and light rain. Scattered clouds locally obscured lower terrain. The nearest weather reporting point, 17 miles distant, reported an overcast cloud layer at 5,300 feet msl.
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: 5,750 hours in all; 32 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,468 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 24, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Wright R-1820-86B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 9:51 pm
- Destination: TRM Thermal CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 28.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from PSP, 17 miles away
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.