December 1, 1978: General Aviation, Piper PA-28-180 (N15899) Grand Canyon, AZ
The 42 year old pilot from Tempe, Arizona was a member of Phoenix Flyers Aero Club and earned his Private Pilot Certificate in the club's Piper Cherokee aircraft. He was familiar with the aircraft, having accumulated 162 of his 164 hours of flying experience in the Cherokee.
On the evening of December 1, 1978, the pilot, his wife, and father decided at the last minute to fly to Las Vegas, Nevada for the weekend.
As the pilot began to pre-flight the rental plane, the increasing cloudiness from a fast moving cold front should have caused concern from the new pilot or his passengers and perhaps maybe it did. The forecast called for freezing rain and icing conditions along the route. Nevertheless, the aircraft departed Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport just after sunset and made a right turn to the northwest.
Approaching the northern Arizona community of Peach Springs, in the weather and total darkness, the pilot probably began to realize he was in trouble. With just a few hours of simulated instrument training, he had no instrument rating and the Piper Cherokee he was flying was not equipped to fly in the ice which by now had accumulated on the aircraft at an alarming rate. The pilot radioed controllers at Las Vegas informing them of his dire situation.
At the west end of Grand Canyon near the rim of Quartermaster Canyon, the aircraft loaded well over it's limit with airframe ice stalled and spun from the overcast sky. The iced-up Cherokee impacted the sage and Juniper covered terrain in a flat, almost vertical decent. There were no survivors.
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HISTORICAL SUMMARY:
I was told about this crash site by a few fellow pilots I know. They mentioned an unknown scatter of wreckage, but little more information than that. A check of the NTSB's online database was not much help without an aircraft model, N-number, or date of accident. To identify this site I would need to visit the crash site and closely examine the remaining wreckage to determine the date range of the accident and aircraft make and model involved.
The fact that there was no post crash fire helped in the on-site field identification process. Personal effects were examined and researched and nearly every fragment of remaining wreckage was inspected to determine the aircraft manufacturer and model.
Once I determined the date range of the crash site and identified the aircraft model, I re-checked the NTSB's accident database and found the record of this 1978 fatal aircraft accident near Peach Springs, Arizona.
The instrument panel and avionics of the accident aircraft probably looked much like this vintage Piper Cherokee's. For general aviation aircraft, this was a "state of the art" panel in 1978.
It was equipped to handle conditions of low visibility, but certainly not freezing rain and structural icing.
The non-instrument rated pilot's 164 hours of flying experience was hardly enough to compensate for the hazardous winter weather conditions.
BAD WEATHER
The weather forecast featured in the Arizona Republic newspaper for December 1, 1978 called for increasing winter storm conditions in northwestern Arizona.
Had the trip been delayed 24 hours, the flight's weather would most likely been favorable for VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flying.
THE ACCIDENT
The flight departed Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport just after 5:30 PM with a planned destination of Las Vegas, Nevada.
A cold front with freezing rain and snow was moving through Northern Arizona as the flight approached Peach Springs.
With increasing darkness and low visibilities, it wasn't long before the pilot began to realize that he was in big trouble.
The aircraft began to feel sluggish and a quick check with a flashlight revealed ice on the windshield. What the pilot could not see was the ice already on the wings and airframe. The pilot desperately radioed controllers in Las Vegas that his plane was icing up.
After a series of sudden uncontrolled pitch and rolls, the pilot lost control of the Piper.
At 6:38 PM, the Cherokee disappeared off the Las Vegas Controller's radar screens.
LOCATING PIPER "N15899"
The accident site is located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation near the Grand Canyon West Tourist Development.
Permission to access the property from the Hualapai Nation is required.
THE ACCIDENT SITE - JANUARY 2012
The main impact area encompasses a 6 meter diameter circle of concentrated debris with wreckage fragments radiating out at 15 meters. There was no evidence of a post impact fire.
The concentration of wreckage debris suggests a steep vertical flight path to the ground. This also supports the NTSB's report that the aircraft had iced-up and stalled prior to impact.
The southern rim of west Grand Canyon is absent of the tall trees found at the higher elevations of Eastern Grand Canyon.
IDENTIFYING THE CRASH SITE
With nothing more than a scatter of small debris, It took some "detective work" to identify this crash site.
A search through the wreckage revealed items that not only helped me determine the aircraft make and model, but also the time period from which it crashed.
One item that helped me date the site was this mangled Sharp EL-8133E Calculator that was found amid other personal effects.
This Sharp Calculator Ad from 1978 featured the Elsimate Model EL-8133. One of the first pocket calculators to feature an LCD display.
Very similar to the 25-key EL-8133E model found at the crash site. Both models were introduced by Sharp in 1978.
Disposable pull tabs from beverage and food containers are now a thing of the past, but during the late 1970's they were still around.
This crushed and rusted can of "edge shaving gel" found at the site features a barely readable offer on the side for a free "Schick Super II Razor with Blade". A "$2.00 Retail Value".
An email to the product manufacturer confirmed this was a 1978 promotion made to their customers.
This rusted tin can once contained a diet creme soda. It was ripped apart From the impact.
The discovery of shoes at the crash site gave a personal meaning to the site and a reminder that three lives were lost in this accident.
The shoes, exposed to over three decades of weather show signs of deterioration. It won't be long and these clothing articles will be gone forever.
The remains of a comb was probably carried in luggage, now scattered in the discarded debris.
DOCUMENTING THE SITE
Recording the site included documenting the dimensions and condition of the crash site and artifacts remaining on the surface.
This five indicator cluster gauge is common on the Piper Cherokee. The gauge featured indicators for Left Main Fuel Tank, Fuel Pressure, and Right Main Fuel Tank. The right outer indicator is unreadable and the left outer indicator was not used for a system.
Note: The crushing damage to the bottom of the gauge, indicating the aircraft impacted in a flat upright attitude.
There were very few flight instruments located at the site. This electric Turn and Slip Indicator was barely recognizable and could only be identified by the identification data tag.
Like the cluster gauge, the metal casing of the Turn and Slip Indicator also exhibited crushing damage to the bottom of the instrument. The similar damage further suggesting a flat nose-low vertical impact.
The empty casing of this Directional Gyro Indicator appears to have been cut open by accident investigators to examine the gyro's internal components for correct and proper operation.
A plastic frequency dial fragment from a King KX-170 Navigation/Communication Radio. Note; the frequency range (.80,.85,.90) designed for the earlier aviation frequency requirements by the FAA.
All that remains of the aircraft's handheld microphone.
It is not known if the pilot utilized a headset/boom mic for his flight, but if he didn't, he probably used this microphone to broadcast his final messages to air traffic control.
KEY FRAGMENT LOCATED
The remaining personal effects located at the site helped to establish a time period of the accident.
Locating this fiberglass engine cowl fragment gave me the model of Piper involved.
With a combination of impact and decades of weathering erasing all but four and a half letters, the name "CHEROKEE" can be deciphered from this fragment.
The aircraft's overall white with red and black scheme was standard Piper manufacturer colors and scheme.
The round twist on/off wing fuel tank cap also helped identify the aircraft's manufacturer as Piper.
The remains of a combination seatbelt/shoulder harness (one of two installed) would have been used by the pilot or front seat passenger.
A cockpit placard, originally located in front of the pilot, gives a brief "checklist" of the Before Takeoff items.
These fiberglass fragments represent various non-structural components on the aircraft such as: wingtips, fairings, cowls, and wheel pant covers.
Care was taken handling these shattered fragments due to the nature of the woven fiberglass material.
An aircraft engine vibration shock mount located at the impact site.
Fragments of the aircraft's red vinyl seat and interior sidewall upholstery.
A fragment from one of aircraft's engine two ignition magnetos.
This "spin-on" engine oil filter was located partially buried at the impact site.
The oil filter also exhibited crushing type damage to it's metal casing.
Usually, the oil filter is examined by accident investigators to determine if the engine was operating normally and if the oil contained metal.
The older Piper aircraft cabins contained some components made of wood, such as this mount to hold the aircraft's portable fire extinguisher.
An unfortunate and preventable accident in which man and machine faced weather elements that were beyond their capacity to handle safely.
THE END
