Piper PA-24-250 accident near Hawthorne, California, September 6, 2024
On September 6, 2024 at about 7:36 am local time, a 1958 Piper PA-24-250, registered N588CP, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Hawthorne, California (Jack Northrop Fld/Hawthorne Mu airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2024 · about 7:36 am local time
- Place
- Hawthorne, California · Jack Northrop Fld/Hawthorne Mu · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250, built 1958 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N588CP · registry record · serial 24-431
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On September 6, 2024, at 0036 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250, N588CP, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Hawthorne, California. The pilot and pilot rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The passenger of the airplane reported the intent of the flight was to conduct pattern work at Jack Northrup Field/Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR), but he did not recall any additional information regarding the accident flight. Witnesses in the area reported hearing a sputtering engine as the airplane departed the airport. One witness inside his residence located near the departure end of the runway reported that he heard a sputtering engine. He exited his residence and saw the accident airplane in a nose-up attitude and appeared to be trying to gain altitude; however, it continued to descend. The airplane started a left turn before it passed over a building and the witness lost sight of the airplane. Security camera recordings from Hawthorne City Hall and a nearby hotel captured the last portion of the accident flight. The recordings showed the airplane come into view in a left-wing low attitude and impacted a light pole, before it impacted the ground, where a postimpact fire ensued. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest upright on a city street about 1 mile southwest of HHR. The first identified point of impact (FIPC) was a damaged light pole. The debris path extended from the FIPC on a southwesterly heading about 90 ft to the main wreckage. Various sections of the left wing to include the fuel tip tank and left aileron, nose landing gear and strut, and a portion of a propeller blade were located within the debris path. The main wreckage was mostly consumed by a postimpact fire. The airplane was recovered to a secure storage facility for further examination.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during takeoff defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Runway 07/2, 4,884 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.83 inHg
Weather report (METAR): KHHR 060753Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/18 A2983 RMK AO2 RAE12 SLP100 P0000 T02440183 403280222
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.