Piper PA 28 accident near Lone Pine, California, September 15, 2014
On September 15, 2014 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 1966 Piper PA 28, registered N5948W, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Lone Pine, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue failure of a propeller blade due to a propeller strike by/of an unidentified object at an unknown time.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2014 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lone Pine, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA 28 150, built 1966 · all PA 28s on the register
- Registration
- N5948W · no longer on the register · serial 28-3636
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that, 2 hours into the personal cross-country flight, he observed a "flash of something" depart the front of the airplane and that the airplane instantly began violently shuddering and vibrating. The pilot immediately landed the airplane in a clearing, and he observed that almost half of one of the propeller blades was missing. A postaccident examination of the propeller assembly revealed that the propeller blade was fractured about 24 inches from the blade butt. Examination of the fracture surface revealed characteristics of fatigue failure that originated in a stress raiser located about 1.25 inches from the leading edge on the lower blade surface. A witness mark, in the form of a distinct score line, was present, indicating that the blade experienced a strike, which created a flaw of critical size at the fatigue origin site that ultimately propagated to failure. The investigation could not determine whether an object struck the blade or the blade struck an object or when the strike occurred.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during enroute (cruise)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller blade section › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,052 hours in all; 1,001 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 975 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 16, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,082 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 2014; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 4,860 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RHV San Jose CA at 5:45 pm
- Destination: PVT Darwin CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from BIH, 52 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.