NEEDLES, CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> Sunday night, the San Bernardino County Fire and Sheriff’s Departments responded to a report of an unknown type of fire near the Needles Airport not far from Interstate 40.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputy was first to arrive after 8:40pm July 13, 2025, and found a single-engine, fixed wing, Piper plane completely engulfed in flames. The call type was quickly changed and the SBCoFD units were updated with the appropriate information.
Upon arrival, firefighters pulled hose out into the dark desert and attacked the fire immediately. Tragically, both occupants on board perished in the crash. The fire was contained to the crash site and no extension to the nearby brush occurred. Fire suppression efforts were supported by a water tender provided by the Mohave Valley Fire Department from Arizona.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Aviation is leading the investigation into the incident.
The plane’s tail number is registered to Singh Harbans of Las Vegas, Nevada according to FlightRadar.com. It was estimated to arrive in Needles at 8:39pm but went off radar at 8:38pm.
The plane identified as N8375W was a 1965 Piper PA-28-180, according to FAA registration records. The fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft is equipped with a Lycoming O&VO-360 reciprocating engine rated at 180 horsepower and had four seats, according to Flight Aware.
There are more ways to follow the Pain In The Pass. Join the Traffic Group on Facebook with over 162,000 members. Join the group on MeWe. Like us on the NEW page on Facebook. Follow us on Instagram, and also follow us on Threads, and X aka Twitter.
