Piper PA-22-150 accident near Strathmore, California, September 9, 1999
On September 9, 1999 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-150, registered N1775P, was destroyed in an accident near Strathmore, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to maintain an adequate terrain and obstacle clearance altitude, which resulted in a collision with power transmission wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 9, 1999 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Strathmore, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-150 · all PA-22-150s on the register
- Registration
- N1775P · registry record · serial 22-2548
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with high-tension electrical transmission wires suspended across a valley. According to witnesses, the airplane had departed a local airport the morning of the accident. When the pilot had not returned home by nightfall, a concerned family member contacted the local authorities to report him missing. About 30 minutes later, an ALNOT was issued and the wreckage was located the following morning. Portions of the left wing and a severed skyline wire were found under the high-tension electrical power transmission lines. Two sets of electrical skyline wires cross the valley in a northwest-southeast direction passing approximately 500 feet northeast of the main wreckage location. The two sets of wires are about 50 feet apart and towers supporting the wires are on the hilltops to the northwest and southeast; the open span across the valley was 5,190 feet. At the center of the valley the wires are approximately horizontal and are suspended approximately 175 feet above the valley floor. Inspection of the airplane revealed that the leading edge of the left wing had an impact mark with a rust-colored, braided appearance resembling the skyline wire, there was also a similar scrape on the lower spar cap of the left wing that had remained attached to the airplane. A circular gouge was observed on the leading edge of one of the propeller blades; the diameter of the gouge corresponded to the end of the severed wire. The airframe and powerplant were inspected on-scene with no discrepancies noted.
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: 1,000 hours in all; 40 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1Q1 CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from PTV, 12 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.