Piper PA-32S-300 accident near Forest Falls, California, November 9, 2008
On November 9, 2008 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-32S-300, registered N312AG, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Forest Falls, California (Hesperia Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions and subsequent impact with mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2008 · about 7:25 pm local time · cases in 2008
- Place
- Forest Falls, California · Hesperia Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32S-300 · all PA-32S-300s on the register
- Registration
- N312AG · registry record · serial 32S7240096
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed in visual flight rule (VFR) flight conditions on a cross-country flight back to the pilot's home airport. About 35 miles southeast of the destination airport, the airplane impacted the northwest side of an 11,000-foot mountain approximately 150 feet below the mountain's crest. Based on an analysis of the meteorological conditions existing at the time of the accident and in the vicinity of the accident site, the cloud bases were near 7,000 feet with the cloud tops above 15,000 feet. An Airman's Information (AIRMET) report for icing and turbulence had been issued for the time of the accident, in the accident area. An airframe and engine inspection revealed no preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot had a history, known to the FAA, of an abnormal heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) for which he was taking a blood thinner to reduce stroke risk, and a color vision deficiency. The accident forces prevented the evaluation of any pre-existing disease, and it is unclear what, if any, relevance the pilot’s cardiac abnormalities or color vision deficiency had to the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,303 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFH Baja at 3:00 pm
- Destination: L26 Hesperia CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.72 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 am from RIV, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
16 documents, released by the NTSB on February 3, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N312AG on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga 3,916 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,844 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 44 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hesperia Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,069 since 1982 · 1,087 in the last ten years
- California 27,655 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR09FA034.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.