August 17, 1983: Las Vegas Airlines, Inc., Piper PA-31-350 (N88LV) Grand Canyon, AZ
A combination of low clouds and poor visibility were the major factors in the tragic mishap that claimed Las Vegas Airlines (LVA) Flight 88. The scheduled air tour, along with a flight of four other Las Vegas Airlines aircraft originated from the North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT) on the morning of August 17, 1983. The final destination for the flight was Grand Canyon National Park Airport (KGCN).
In command of Flight 88 was Captain Wallace S. Gustafson Jr. Known by fellow pilots as "Gus", Captain Gustafson was a retired fighter pilot with the United States Air Force and had well over 8,000 total flight hours. He was hired by Las Vegas Airlines on April 16, 1980. A family of nine vacationing tourists from Italy made up Flight 88's passenger manifest.
The flight departed on a cloudy/rainy day at 11:42 AM and proceeded eastbound over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead to the western boundary of the Grand Canyon. At this point, most of the Las Vegas Airlines aircraft in the flight began climbing over the Shivwits Plateau to avoid the deteriorating weather conditions. For reasons unclear, Captain Gustafson decided to fly through the canyon and below the overcast. During this time he was relaying his position by radio using radials off of the Peach Springs VORTAC navigation station.
Flying low through the canyon, the flight encountered what other pilots in the area would later describe as a "wall of clouds" that went to ground level. With visibility decreasing, Captain Gustafson may have become confused with his precise location within the canyon. It was later speculated by other tour pilots and the NTSB that Captain Gustafson may have thought he was in the area known as "Twin Peaks" which was six miles to the north and clear of rising terrain. At around 12:27 PM, Captain Gustafson made a final radio call to the other company aircraft; "It's getting too bad in here, I'm getting out".
Attempts were made to contact the flight by another company aircraft were unsuccessful. The four remaining Las Vegas Airlines aircraft completed their sightseeing flights by proceeding over the Shivwits Plateau just north of Mt. Dellenbaugh. When it was clear that Flight 88 had not made it to Grand Canyon Airport nor had returned to North Las Vegas Airport, a missing aircraft alert was issued to try and locate Flight 88. With bad weather hampering the search, it was not until noon the following day when two company pilots flying a search mission found the scattered wreckage of Flight 88 on the southwest slope of a remote mesa within the Grand Canyon. There were no survivors.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that it was too much of a risk to conduct an on-site investigation of this accident. The official accident investigation was made possible through a series of photographs taken by investigators as they hovered by helicopter near the crash site. A majority of the scattered human remains were removed by Coconino County Sheriff Deputies and volunteers from the Hualapai Tribe who rappelled down the cliff face.
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HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
The crash site of Las Vegas Airlines Flight 88 still rests on the mesa that was posthumously named "Gus's Plateau" after Captain Gustafson. Every year since the accident thousands of people continue to fly over the crash site on air tour flights, but few if any notice the crumpled pile of aircraft metal below. As a pilot flying tourists over the canyon since the early 1990s, I became intrigued by the story of the accident and the challenge of someday visiting the crash site.
The site itself is located in a very remote region of the Grand Canyon and because of this had never been visited since August of 1983. There are no trails or roads and there are no water sources. During warm months rattlesnakes are a common sight. The crash site rests on a steep shelf of crumbling igneous rock and shale that is very difficult to hike on. Although the crash site lies within the Grand Canyon, the land itself is governed by the Hualapai Indian Nation and access can only be granted by tribal permission.
A hike to this site poses many challenges. Before finally reaching this crash site, I made two previous attempts and both failed due to problems navigating the terrain. When planning my third attempt, I studied a series of aerial photographs and found the best possible route without the use of technical climbing gear. On April 28, 2010, I finally reached the crash site of Las Vegas Airlines Flight 88.
**** If you have additional information concerning this accident and/or photos of the those involved and would like to add them to this story please email me at: lostflights@gmail.com ****
This navigation indicator survived the post crash fire, but was heavily damaged by the impact.
This RPM gauge had evidence of both impact and post impact fire damage.
Pictured are two Collins VHF-251 communication radios located amid the wreckage.
This VIR-351 Digital Navigation Receiver was also manufactured by the Collins Radio Co.
According to the accident report, Captain Gustafson was using the navigation information from this radio in an attempt to determine his position as he flew through the canyon.
This mask was part of aircraft's installed oxygen system.
With wreckage big and small scattered across the ledge, I needed to look over every fragment closely.
Passenger chair seat back.
During my examination of the accident site, I noticed that every seat belt buckle I found was in the latched position.
A common practice during tour flights, but the majority of discovered latched belts also suggest that Flight 88 was encountering strong turbulence as it attempted to fly through the area of thunderstorms.
A latched seat belt buckle and attached shoulder strap from one of the two front seats.
With nine passengers, every seat including the co-pilot seat was occupied on the Piper. It is unknown which passenger occupied the seat next to Captain Gustafson, but it's very likely that both were wearing the required shoulder strap.
This seat fragment with latched seat belt buckle was located near the edge of a 200' cliff.
Even the aircraft's fiberglass tailcone failed to escape damage and was thrown down the ledge and nearly off the cliff.
This was as close as I wanted to get to Flight 88's aft baggage door.
After impact, the door came to rest on the talus ledge less than 10 feet from the sloping edge of a 200 foot vertical drop.
This roll of Italian lira currency was found in the pocket of a passenger's discarded jacket.
The many years of weather and exposure made it difficult to count, but it is estimated that at least twenty to thirty bank notes comprised the roll.
Also located within the jacket pocket were six vinyl books containing travelers checks in various denominations.
The checks were signed by five of the nine traveling adult passengers on the flight.
The tattered remnants of a passenger's Adidas jacket.
Even though August was generally a warm summer month, the cool rainy weather on the day of the accident had passengers bringing along extra warm clothing.
In addition to various articles of clothing scattered at the crash site were the shoes of the accident victims.
This tennis shoe, manufactured by Maraton shows the European shoe sizing of 47 on the sole.
Another passenger shoe. During the many years of exposure to weather the leather material tends to shrink while the rubber sole retains it's original shape and size.
The discovery of shoes at the crash site really brought out the realization of tragedy and the human toll that this accident created.
This pair of military pilot's gloves were found next to a weathered blue windbreaker type jacket and most likely belonged to Captain Gustafson.
The printed information inside the gloves indicate that the gloves were U.S. Government issued. Captain Gustafson as with most pilots for Las Vegas Airlines was a retired military pilot.
This large oxygen cylinder would have been located in the aft portion of the aircraft.
The top of the inverted right wing shows signs of the post crash fire damage to it's surface.
The remains of Flight 88's shattered Lycoming LTIO-540 (left side) engine shows evidence of the tremendous impact with the cliff.
This engine was located next to the remains of the left wing structure.
This separated engine cylinder took a hard impact as shown by the crushed cooling vanes.
The orange painted mounting base designates this cylinder as having a chrome lining.
Partially hidden in this photo and buried under debris was the aircraft's Lycoming TIO-540 engine.
The engine was located within the cabin debris and near it's respective right wing structure.
After clearing the burned debris off of the engine, I could finally see three of the engine's six cylinders.
The manufacture's data tag identifies this component as an engine oil cooler.
The aircraft's left wing was not as firmly placed on the ledge like the right side wing and cabin. It would move easily if I placed any weight on it.
Both left and right wings separated from the fuselage at impact. The left wing was located nearly thirty feet away from the right wing, fuselage, and tail section.
The effects of hitting a cliff at 170 knots is shown by the characteristic accordion-like crushed bending of the left wing's leading edge.
Flight 88's nose baggage door was thrown clear of the main wreckage and was found on the ledge.
The nose baggage door hinge and release mechanism.
This aircraft manufacturer's data tag indicates that this component (P/N: 40200-43) was the right aileron control surface.
Inspecting Flight 88's left main landing gear. The landing gear along with the tire and wheel separated at impact and was located about thirty feet below the left wing.
A closeup view of the left main landing gear assembly.
This spectacular view of the canyon gorge and Colorado River is marred by the wreckage of Flight 88.
The photo does illustrate the direction and terrain that the flight passed over prior to it's impact with the mesa.
Unlike most small tour aircraft that fly the Grand Canyon, aircraft N88LV was unique in that it had a lavatory installed in the aft cabin.
During the late 1970s thru the early 1980s, Las Vegas Airlines flew many Disneyland charters to Southern California. The long flights made having a lavatory a necessity.
The aircraft's three-bladed Hartzell propellers struck the cliff face with such force that all six blades separated from their hubs and were thrown in every direction.
The blades and blade fragments I found at the crash site all exhibited rotational scratch marks, deep cuts, and gouging on the leading edges.
The Hartzell manufacture's logo sticker was visible on the face of this propeller blade.
This propeller blade tip fragment displays evidence of rotational scratch signatures from it's contact with the cliff. Both engines and propellers were producing power at the time of initial impact.
This blade was curled rearward with respect to the forward plane of propeller rotation.
This access panel was originally located under the fuselage near the wing root. It includes an access door and drain port for the fuel cross-feed system.
Examining the remains of Flight 88's left wing structure and engine.
With the steep slope and loose rock, there was always an opportunity for injury. By far one of the most dangerous sites I have ever visited.
The lower half of the main cabin door was nothing more than a twisted scrap of metal.
The hinged upper half of the main cabin door was nearly cut in half by the initial impact.
This horizontal stabilizer was thrown quite a distance from the main body of wreckage.
This engine cowling fragment had the word "NAVAJO" painted in white letters.
Before leaving the crash site, I took a black marker and penned a makeshift memorial to those that had perished on Las Vegas Airlines Flight 88.
* IN MEMORY*
Capt. Wallace S. Gustafson, Jr. - (48)
Enrico Annibali - (49)
Maria Vittoria Annibali - (48)
Giancarlo Annibali - (15)
Luciano Annibali - (45)
Guliana Ranieri-Annibali - (44)
Francesca Annibali - (16)
Federica Annibali - (13)
Stefano Annibali - (22)
Daniele Vernava - (19)