North Las Vegas - Santa Ana

On August 30, 1978 at 07:47 AM, North Las Vegas - Santa Ana experienced a crash involving Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain, operated by Las Vegas Airlines, with the event recorded near North Las Vegas Nevada.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

10 people were known to be on board, 10 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 9, passenger fatalities: 9, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. After takeoff from runway 25, at an altitude of 100 feet above ground level, the aircraft pitched up and reached a maximum pitch attitude of 50° to 75°. The aircraft crossed the highway while climbing to an altitude of about 400 feet, 2,000 feet from the departure end of the runway. It then began what witnesses described as a 'wingover' or 'sudden violent nose down turn' to the right, recrossed the highway and crashed in an almost level pitch attitude while in a slight right bank and a slight left yaw. Witnesses to the accident were attracted to the aircraft by the high pitch attitude after takeoff. During the post takeoff maneuver, the engines were reported to be running at a high power setting. The aircraft crashed about one minute after the takeoff roll began; it came to rest in an open field about 1,150 feet past the departure end of the runway and about 650 feet to the right of the runway. The impact heading was 025° magnetic. All 10 occupants were killed, among them Australian tourists.

Aircraft reference details include registration N44LV, MSN 31-7852099, year of manufacture 1978.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 36.2005°, -115.1215°.