General Aviation Archaeology Galleries

September 14, 1958, Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer (N7621D) near Pahrump, NV : ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: This was a simple weekend pleasure flight by friends that never made it home. Arthur Whittaker, a well known and liked business man in the Las Vegas area and a small group of friends decided to rent a nearly new Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer for the day. They departed Skyport Airport (North Las Vegas Airport) about 11:00 AM on a Sunday with clear skies and light breezes. They first headed for Ash Meadows Field and then flew on to Jean, Nevada. At 4:00 PM, the Piper departed Jean for the return flight to Skyport Field. Taking what appeared to be a scenic detour around the Western slopes of the 8,500+ foot Spring Mountain Range, the aircraft impacted a 6,000 foot ridge-line in a relatively nose-low, flat attitude. There was no post crash fire, but all occupants were killed in the accident. HISTORICAL SUMMARY: This accident site was discovered during 1996 while searching Southern Nevada's Charleston Mountain Range for a Beechcraft AT-11 that crashed during World War 2. When we found this wreck, we thought we found the AT-11. The next day we hiked to the site only to find it was this Piper Tri-Pacer. Several years passed before I was able to gather enough photos and documentation to determine the story behind this accident. A thank you to Joe Idoni for putting the pieces together.

September 14, 1958, Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer (N7621D) near Pahrump, NV

ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: This was a simple weekend pleasure flight by frien ...

Updated: Mar 31, 2013 11:31am PST

December 19, 1968, Piper PA-28-140 (N1753J) near Mount Laguna, CA : ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: The prelude to a severe winter storm was in the forecast when a flight instructor, student pilot, and an observer departed Phoenix, Arizona bound for San Diego California. The purpose of the night training flight was to prepare the instructor's student for his private pilot checkride and to re-position the rental aircraft back to it's home base in San Diego. The 34 year old Flight Instructor had 771 total flight hours, but only a mere 29 hours in the Piper PA-28-140 Cherokee aircraft. The Flight Instructor did not request a weather briefing which called for severe turbulence with strong updrafts and downdrafts. Despite the weather and dark night, the instructor decided to file a VFR (Visual) flight plan. As the flight progressed westerly towards San Diego, the turbulence and visibilty became increasingly worse near the mountainous Laguna Range. Fighting turbulence and spatial disorientation, it was not long before the single-engine Piper departed controlled flight (possible in-flight breakup) and impacted the snow covered slopes of Cuyapaipe Mountain fifty miles east of it's destination. All three were killed. The next day an air search was mounted for the missing aircraft which was mostly conducted in poor weather conditions. Tragedy struck twice while in the process of the search, two members of the local Civil Air Patrol were killed when their own plane collided with nearby Tecate Peak. The remains of the missing Piper and it's three occupants were eventually located under heavy snow December 24, 1968, Christmas Eve Day. ************************************************************************************************************************************ HISTORICAL SUMMARY: This wreck site was located by me in 2003 while conducting a re-position flight from Yuma to Long Beach. With substantial wreckage on the ground, I initially thought that I had located the 1946 crash site of American Airlines Flight 6-103 or that of Western Air Lines Flight 44 which also crashed in the area during the same year. A visit to the site in November 2009 revealed that it was in fact neither DC-3, but a Piper Cherokee lost in 1968.

December 19, 1968, Piper PA-28-140 (N1753J) near Mount Laguna, CA

ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: The prelude to a severe winter storm was in the ...

Updated: Nov 11, 2009 6:21pm PST

March 26, 1975, Cessna 310Q (N7683Q) Kaparowitz Plateau, UT : ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: Snow showers and low visibility were in the forecast when this Cessna 310Q departed Escalante, Utah at 4:30 AM for a short flight to Page, Arizona. In good weather, the flight would normally take about 30 minutes to cover the 50 mile distance. However, the weather on the morning of March 26, 1975 was anything but good. A cold front had moved into the region causing snow showers, low ceilings, and visibility to drop to less than one-half mile. Dr. Ivan W. Kazan, age 53 had 3,977 hours total flight time and an instrument rating. With his level of flying experience, he was sure that he would make it to Page where he was scheduled to perform a surgery at 6:30 AM. As Dr. Kazan made his way south to Page, he found himself having to dodge snow showers while continuing to descend below the clouds. With less than ten miles from his destination, he ran into a wall of ice fog and snow showers. Loosing sight of the terrain, his only option was to climb and hopefully fly away from the surrounding terrain. Upon reaching an altitude of 6,500 feet and still flying in and out of the clouds, he probably felt safe, catching an occasional glimpse of the shoreline of Lake Powell. What he could not see however was the approaching vertical wall of sandstone from the 7,300 foot Kaparowitz Plateau. At 160 MPH, the final seconds of 83 Quebec and it's pilot consisted of a mere flash of light in the clouds followed by a terrific thunderous explosion that echoed through the snow covered canyons. With no witnesses of a crash, the whereabouts of 83 Quebec became a mystery and the search for the plane was eventually called off after two weeks. For nearly forty days the wreckage of 83 Quebec lay hidden under a blanket of snow. Then on May 8th, a pilot sightseeing over the lake caught a glimpse of something reflecting on a sloping ledge. It was the disintegrated remains of N7683Q. *********************************************************************************************************************************** HISTORICAL SUMMARY: Today, the wreckage of N7683Q remains un-touched and most likely due to the remote location, un-visited since 1975. A low pass recently made in a Cessna 182 revealed shredded, un-recognizable wreckage with white, black, and red painted surfaces. A partial "N" number was also visible. The crash site is surrounded above and below by steep cliffs several hundred feet tall. You may however find a route up without the use of ropes and climbing gear as some washouts appear passable but very steep. If attempting a hike to this site you will need to boat to your starting point on Lake Powell and hike up from there. It will not be easy. There are no roads anywhere within ten miles of this site. NOTE: The NTSB incorrectly has this crash site located in Escalante, New Mexico. No such place exists. It is in Utah just north of Lake Powell on the west slope of the Kaparowitz Plateau.

March 26, 1975, Cessna 310Q (N7683Q) Kaparowitz Plateau, UT

ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: Snow showers and low visibility were in the fore ...

Updated: Jan 06, 2011 5:19pm PST

August 12, 2001, Piper PA-28-180 (N8098W) Boulder City, NV : ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: What started as a fun night of dinner and drinking ended in tragedy when Private Pilot Michael Rizzo, age 37 of Henderson, Nevada and Richard Albers, age 32 of Boulder City decided to go on a late night joyride in the skies above Southern Nevada. The aircraft departed at an unknown time from Boulder City and may have stayed in the local area, but could have flown as far as Bullhead City, AZ. Just after midnight, The Piper was observed by another aircraft making a steep descending left base turn to the final approach of Boulder City Airport's Runway 27L (Left). Suddenly there was a bright flash followed by a fireball. The aircraft struck a 66 foot high-voltage power line pole just over a mile short of the runway and exploded on impact. Both Rizzo and Albers perished in the accident. HISTORICAL SUMMARY: About three years ago, I was on final approach to Boulder City when I noticed a small white cross in the middle of the desert. I always wondered why a cross was there. In the back of my mind I suspected a plane crash. I did some research and visited the local library to find the story. My visit to the crash site was in August, almost 10 years after the accident. It was hot and well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I located the power pole the aircraft struck and soon found pieces of the aircraft. Not many fragments and those that I did locate were quite small. A memorial cross placed in memory of passenger Richard Albers rests at the west corner of the crash site.

August 12, 2001, Piper PA-28-180 (N8098W) Boulder City, NV

ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: What started as a fun night of dinner and drink ...

Updated: Sep 02, 2011 2:47am PST

July 17, 2010, Kitfox III (N888TL) Monument Valley, UT : ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: On the afternoon of July 17, 2010, Darrell Boucher reported that during landing and just before touchdown on Runway 16 at Monument Valley the wind suddenly shifted to a tailwind. The airplane, an experimental Kitfox III (N888TL) landed hard and bounced back into the air. Mr. Boucher then added full power in an attempt to execute a go-around. He stated that the airplane failed to climb and drifted off to the left side of the runway until the left wing hit the ground, resulting in the airplane flipping over. Mr. Boucher was the only occupant in the aircraft and was not injured in the crash. The accident was jointly investigated by the FAA and NTSB. The NTSB determined in a very short 3 months that Mr. Boucher failed to maintain directional control and compensate for the crosswind during the aborted landing. HISTORICAL SUMMARY: This site was located during the search for another wind related accident site at this remote private airstrip on the Navaho Indian Reservation. The low and slow impact crash site consists of only three or four fragments of wing structure. At first, the fragments were puzzling compared to other aircraft structures I have seen. The fragments had attach points utilizing pop rivets, staples, and small aluminum tubing. I figured I was dealing with some kind of ultra-light or light sport aircraft. A quick check on the NTSB's website accident database narrowed the possibilities to this accident. Luckily, no injuries.

July 17, 2010, Kitfox III (N888TL) Monument Valley, UT

ACCIDENT SYNOPSIS: On the afternoon of July 17, 2010, Darrell Bouch ...

Updated: Sep 26, 2011 1:34am PST