Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Imperial County Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Holtville, California 92250
Tuesady, December 27, 1994 18:23 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
WITNESSES HEARD THE ACCIDENT PILOT CALLING ON THE UNICOM FREQUENCY. HE SOUNDED AS THOUGH HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY LOCATING THE AIRPORT, SO ANOTHER PILOT IN HIS VICINITY SUGGESTED THAT THE ACCIDENT PILOT FOLLOW HIS AIRCRAFT TO THE AIRPORT. THE ACCIDENT PILOT AGREED, BUT AFTER THE OTHER PILOT ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT THE ACCIDENT PILOT STILL FAILED TO LAND. WITNESSES HEARD HIM SAY THAT HE WAS LOW ON FUEL AND THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. THE PILOT SAID HE COULD NOT FIND THE AIRPORT, BUT WOULD LAND ON THE HIGHWAY IF NECESSARY. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS SWITCHING TANKS FOLLOWED BY 'WE'RE GOING TO CRASH, WE'RE GOING TO CRASH, WE'RE CRASHING.' A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTED A LANDING ON THE INTERSTATE, BUT THEN BEGAN A CLIMBING RIGHT TURN UNTIL IT BEGAN A DESCENT AND CRASHED. THE WITNESS SPOTTED FLAMES AND IMMEDIATELY RAN TO THE LOCATION. HE DESCRIBED THE WEATHER AT THE ACCIDENT SITE AS CLEAR BUT VERY DARK.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the pilot's becoming lost/disoriented during a night cross- country flight at a time the flight was in a critical low fuel state, and his failure to maintain aircraft control during a go-around from an aborted precautionary landing. Factors in the accident were: 1) the pilot's inadequate inflight fuel consumption calculations; 2) his failure to refuel the aircraft; 3) his failure to use all available FAA resources once the critical flight state became apparent; 4) spatial disorientation; and 5) darkness.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 12/27/1994 |
| Event Day of the Week | Tuesday |
| Time of Event | 1823 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | HOLTVILLE |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 92250 |
| Event Date Year | 1994 |
| Event Date Month | 12 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | IMPERIAL COUNTY AIRPORT |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | IPL |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 22 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 95 |
| Airport Elevation | -56 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1837 Pacific Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 275 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | IPL |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 22 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | PST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 100 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Obscured |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0.06 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 11 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 11 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 350 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Fatal |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | 2 |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 2065 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Dec 27 1994 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2310 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 6 2000 12:45PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N4647R |
| NTSB Number | LAX95FA062 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | Ground |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | PIPER |
| Aircraft Model | PA-28-140 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | PA-28-140 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 28-21401 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2150 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Aug 2 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | ROBERT ALAN HARRIS |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 5427 E. BUCKINGHAM WAY |
| Aircraft Owner City | FRESNO |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 93727 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 730 BARRON #117 |
| Operator City | REDWOOD CITY |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 94063 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Business |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | PAO |
| Departure City | PALO ALTO |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1400 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | YUM |
| Destination City | YUMA |
| Destination State | AZ |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 32 |
| Runway Length | 5304 |
| Runway Width | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |