Piper PA-24-180 accident near June Lake, California, September 18, 1999
On September 18, 1999 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N5673P, was destroyed in an accident near June Lake, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued VFR flight into known instrument meteorological conditions, including icing, which resulted 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
- September 18, 1999 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- June Lake, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N5673P · no longer on the register · serial 24-745
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed on a multi state cross-country flight and was reported missing when the airplane failed to arrive at the destination. The pilot originally had filed an IFR flight plan the night before his proposed departure and also obtained a weather briefing. The weather information contained in the briefing was substantially correct. He was delayed due to fog from his estimated time of departure and never refiled or opened the flight plan. CAP search aircraft located the wreckage 1 week after the accident. The aircraft was found at the 11,760-foot level of a mountain and about 1,000 feet below the peak. The site is about 2 miles south of the route of flight filed in his flight plan. Ground witnesses said there were gusty winds, heavy rain, and thunderstorms in the area the day of the crash, with clouds obscuring the mountaintop where the accident occurred. In his flight plan, the pilot had originally filed for 13,000 feet, and pilot reports during the morning and early afternoon indicated that the cloud bases were 10,000 to 12,000 feet over the mountains, with higher layers to 24,000 feet. Conditions were favorable for light to moderate clear and/or mixed icing in clouds and precipitation above 12,000 feet. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were found during examination of the airframe and engine. A review of the pilot's logbook indicated that he had 223 hours of actual instrument time and 71 hours of simulated instrument time. About 4 months preceding the accident, he had logged 3 hours.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,748 hours in all; 1,698 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,732 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 2, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 069 Petaluma CA
- Destination: BCE Bryce Canyon UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 1,100 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from MMH, 15 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.