NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX90FA331
Registry · N3558
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
FOX JOHN M PIETENPOL AIRCAMPER
Year of manufacture
2016
Engine
CONT MOTOR A-65-8F (65 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20160307
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A3FAD0
Registrant of record
FOX JOHN M
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE DURING THE APPROACH TO LAND. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND FAILURE OF COMPANY/OPERATOR/MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL TO PROVIDE CURRENT WEATHER.
Factual narrative
THE ACFT WAS ON A NIGHT FLT FM PHOENIX TO FLAGSTAFF, AZ, TO DELIVER CARGO IN ACCORDANCE WITH AN AIR TAXI DELIVERY SCHEDULE. BFR REACHING FLAGSTAFF, THE PLT CANCELED HIS IFR CLNC & PROCEEDED VFR. HE ENCTRD LOWERING CIGS & RW. DRG THE APCH, HE EXTENDED THE LNDG GEAR & PARTIALLY EXTENDED THE WING FLAPS. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASHED IN AN UNPOPULATED AREA ABT 2.5 MI SSE OF THE ARPT AT AN ELEV OF ABT 6800 FT; ARPT ELEV WAS 7011 FT. INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED WHILE THE ACFT WAS IN A RIGHT 20 DEG BANK (TOWARD RWY 3). WX DATA AT THE COMPANY DISPATCH WAS NOT CURRENT & DID NOT DEPICT THE ADVERSE LOCAL CONDS NEAR THE DESTN ARPT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1990_LAX90FA331.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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