Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / LAX88LA083

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event LAX88LA083

1988-01-09 TEHACHAPI, California, United States Fatal 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N109MD

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

BEECH B200

Year of manufacture

1985 · 3 years old at event

Engine

P&W PT6A SER (750 hp)

Seats / Engines

11 seats · 2 engines

Last airworthiness date

20010525

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A0273A

Registrant of record

M B DUNCAN INC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER USED THE MOTORGLIDER'S POWERPLANT TO TAKEOFF AND CLIMB TO A MOUNTAIN RIDGE TO SOAR. UPON REACHING THE RIDGE TOP THE PILOT SHUT OFF THE POWERPLANT AND ENTERED SOARING FLIGHT. THE PASSENGER STATED THAT THE MOTORGLIDER DESCENDED INTO TREES AND THEN IMPACTED THE SNOW COVERED TERRAIN. HE SAID THAT THE PILOT DID NOT ATTEMPT TO RESTART THE POWERPLANT BEFORE COLLIDING WITH THE TREES. TOXICOLOGICAL TESTS ON THE PILOTS BLOOD AND URINE WERE CONDUCTED. THEY REVEALED 0.9 MCG/ML OF BROMPHENIRAMINE IN HIS URINE AND LOW CONCENTRATIONS OF PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE AND 6.0 MG/ML OF MARIJUANA METABOLITES IN HIS BLOOD. IN ADDITION, 62.0 MG/ML OF MARIJUANA METABOLITES WERE DETECTED IN HIS URINE. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1988_LAX88LA083.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.