Salt Lake City – Penticton

On December 31, 2000 at 12:05 PM, Salt Lake City – Penticton experienced a crash involving Piper PA-60 Aerostar (Ted Smith 600), operated by Skyline Ranch Investment Company, with the event recorded near Mt Okanagan British Columbia.

The flight was categorized as private and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

4 people were known to be on board, 4 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: 3, passenger fatalities: 3, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The Piper Aerostar 602P aircraft, registration N88AT, serial number 62P08628165003, with the pilot, who was also the owner, three passengers, and two dogs on board, took off from the Salt Lake City Airport, Utah, on an instrument flight rules flight to Penticton, British Columbia. At 1149 Pacific standard time, the Kamloops/Castlegar sector controller of Vancouver Centre passed N88AT a special weather observation for Penticton: Awinds calm; visibility : mile in snow; sky obscured; vertical visibility 700 feet; remarks snow eight [8/8 of the sky covered]; temperature zero; 1900 [1100 Pacific standard time] altimeter [email protected] When approaching Penticton, the pilot requested the localizer distance-measuring equipment B (LOC DME-B) approach to runway 16. When the pilot confirmed that he could complete the procedure turn within 13 miles of the Penticton airport, the controller issued an approach clearance for the LOC DME-B approach, with a restriction to complete the procedure turn within 13 miles of the Penticton airport. This restriction was to prevent possible conflicts between N88AT and aircraft taking off or carrying out missed approaches from runway 15 at Kelowna. The pilot reported to the Penticton Flight Service Station at 1203 Pacific standard time that he was by the Penticton non-directional beacon (NDB) outbound on the localizer, and he was given the latest runway condition report. When the aircraft then failed to respond to numerous radio calls from the Penticton Flight Service Station and Vancouver Centre, search and rescue staff were notified and a search initiated. The wreckage was found two days later, near the summit of Okanagan Mountain, in a wooded area, at an elevation of about 5100 feet above sea level. There were no survivors. The aircraft was destroyed but did not catch fire.

Aircraft reference details include registration N88AT, MSN 62-0862-8165003, year of manufacture 1981.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 50.8745°, -118.5513°.