Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Spokane, Washington, December 15, 1993
On December 15, 1993 at about 5:01 am local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N999VP, was destroyed in an accident near Spokane, Washington (Spokane International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALIGNMENT WITH THE INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEM APPROACH COURSE. THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PERFORM A MISSED APPROACH WAS A FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 1993 · about 5:01 am local time
- Place
- Spokane, Washington · Spokane International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N999VP · registry record · serial 32R-778085
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD MISSED ONE ILS APPROACH, AND WAS ON HIS SECOND ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 03. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT TRACKING THE LOCALIZER COURSE UNTIL GRADUALLY TURNING TO THE LEFT ABOUT TWO MILES FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ABOUT 1/4 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE LOCALIZER CENTERLINE, APPROXIMATELY ABEAM THE MIDDLE MARKER. THE IMPACT SCAR ORIENTATION WAS ABOUT 310 DEGREES.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,256 hours in all; 8 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 1,029 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,468 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 1993; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSC Pasco WA at 4:15 am
- Destination: GEG
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 am from GEG, 1 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.