Piper PA-11 accident near Copperopolis, California, June 16, 2019

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

A friend of the pilot located near the lake reported that the pilot had sent him a text message, which said that he was going to do a “fly by” over the lake. The friend stated that, when he saw the airplane, it was about 150 ft above the water and that the pilot did a “wing wag” before the airplane collided with the power lines strung across the water. The airplane subsequently descended nose down into the water. Postaccident examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Toxicological tests detected a level of ethanol in the pilot’s specimens known to cause some impairment. The test results were also consistent with the pilot having recently consumed alcohol before the flight. Therefore, it is likely that the pilot’s impairment from consuming alcohol contributed 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.

Photographs from the investigation 12 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them

Photo 1 – Photo of the airplane over the lake.Photo 2 - Photo of the airplane over the lake.Photo 3 - Photo of the airplane over the lake.Photo 4 - Photo of the accident area and power lines.Photo 5 – Recovered fuselagePhoto 6 – Recovered engine.Photo 7 – Upper spark plugs.Photo 8 – Disassembled carburetor.Photo 9 – View of the wings and cabin roof section.Photo 10 – Left wing wire striations mark.Photo 11 - Left wing wire striations mark.Photo 12 – Empennage.

The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.