Piper PA-11 accident near Death Valley, California, March 9, 2024
On March 9, 2024 at about 6:39 pm local time, a 1947 Piper PA-11, registered N78659, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Death Valley, California (Furnace Creek airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing rollout, resulting in a ground loop and runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2024 · about 6:39 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Death Valley, California · Furnace Creek · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-11, built 1947 · all PA-11s on the register
- Registration
- N78659 · registry record · serial 11-1420
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during the landing rollout and as the airplane slowed, rudder inputs became less effective. The airplane began to veer to the left, then departed the left side of the runway and ground looped. The airplane struck a runway sign located approximately 30 ft from the runway, and the fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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 control on ground during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 206 hours in all; 103 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 98 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 17, 2023
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,116 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 21, 2023; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KIYK Inyokern CA at 5:10 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 33, 3,065 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from KDRA, 42 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KDRA 091753Z AUTO 12009KT 10SM CLR 11/M13 A3019
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
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.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on May 29, 2024. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Damage Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N78659 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N78659 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-11 Cub Special 443 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,848 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental C-85-12 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Furnace Creek Airport · nearest airport
- Inyokern Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,098 in the last ten years
- California 27,686 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N78659 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR24LA107.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.