Wed, Oct 09, 2024
Recordings Showed The Airplane Come Into View In A Left-Wing Low Attitude And Impacted A Light Pole
Location: Hawthorne, CA Accident Number: WPR24FA295
Date & Time: September 6, 2024, 00:36 Local Registration: N588CP
Aircraft: Piper PA-24-250 Injuries: 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

On September 6, 2024, at 0036 Pacific daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250, N588CP, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Hawthorne, California. The pilot and pilot rated passenger sustained serious injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The passenger of the airplane reported the intent of the flight was to conduct pattern work at Jack Northrup Field/Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR), but he did not recall any additional information regarding the accident flight.
Witnesses in the area reported hearing a sputtering engine as the airplane departed the airport. One witness inside his residence located near the departure end of the runway reported that he heard a sputtering engine. He exited his residence and saw the accident airplane in a nose-up attitude and appeared to be trying to gain altitude; however, it continued to descend. The airplane started a left turn before it passed over a building and the witness lost sight of the airplane.
Security camera recordings from Hawthorne City Hall and a nearby hotel captured the last portion of the accident flight. The recordings showed the airplane come into view in a left-wing low attitude and impacted a light pole, before it impacted the ground, where a postimpact fire ensued. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane came to rest upright on a city street about 1 mile southwest of HHR.
The first identified point of impact (FIPC) was a damaged light pole. The debris path extended from the FIPC on a southwesterly heading about 90 ft to the main wreckage. Various sections of the left wing to include the fuel tip tank and left aileron, nose landing gear and strut, and a portion of a propeller blade were located within the debris path. The main wreckage was mostly consumed by a postimpact fire.
The airplane was recovered to a secure storage facility for further examination.
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Edition): A Moniker Well-Chosen Founded in 2021 by serial entrepreneur David Mayman and headquartered in New York City, Mayman Aerospace is the designer and manu>[...]
The Controller Provided The Pilot With A Low Altitude Alert And The Altimeter Setting That Was Current At The Time On October 13, 2025, at about 0815 eastern daylight time, a Socat>[...]
Outer Marker A marker beacon at or near the glideslope intercept altitude of an ILS approach. It is keyed to transmit two dashes per second on a 400 Hz tone, which is received aura>[...]
Aero Linx: Seaplane Pilots Association The Seaplane Pilots Association is the only organization in the world solely focused on representing the interests of seaplane pilots, owners>[...]
“While business aviation is fully included in the FAA’s traffic reductions, we know that our sector will continue to pursue mandatory and voluntary means to ensure we a>[...]