Piper PA-28-161 N8251B

Summary

On 19 January 1990 at about 04:14 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N8251B, operated by Daniel Tompkins, was involved in an accident near Burbank, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 January 1990 at 04:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Burbank, California, United States

Nearest airport

Burbank (BUR)

Coordinates

34.1706, -118.3407

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N8251B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Daniel Tompkins

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Santa Barbara

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX90FA070

4 people died.

POOR JUDGEMENT OF THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT (CFI) DUE TO HIS IMPAIRMENT FROM USE OF MARIJUANA, INADEQUATE SUPERVISION OF THE FLIGHT BY THE CFI, AND HIS FAILURE TO ASSURE THAT ADEQUATE AIRSPEED WAS MAINTAINED, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INADVERTENT STALL. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE CFI'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT PLANNING/PREPARATION, AND HIS FAILURE TO ASSURE THE AIRCRAFT WAS WITHIN ITS CERTIFIED GROSS WEIGHT LIMIT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE ACFT WAS SCHEDULED FOR A NGT INSTRUMENT TRAINING FLT WITH 2 ADDITIONAL PLTS ABOARD, WHO WERE SEEKING INSTRUMENT RATINGS. SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF FROM RWY 7, THE INSTRUCTOR (CFI) RADIOED TO THE TOWER THAT AN IMMEDIATE LNDG WAS NECESSARY, BUT HE DID NOT GIVE A REASON. THE FLT WAS CLRD TO LAND. THE ACFT WAS THEN OBSERVED TO ENTER A STEEP LEFT TURN AT LOW ALT & DESCEND ABRUPTLY. IT CRASHED IN A STEEP DESCENT ABOUT 500 FT NORTH OF RWY 7 ON A HEADING OF ABOUT 260 DEG. IMPACT OCCURRED IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND. TESTS OF THE CFI'S BLOOD SHOWED THAT IT CONTAINED 1 NG/ML OF DELTA-9-TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL (A PSYCHOACTIVE COMPONENT OF MARIJUANA) & 7 NG/ML OF DELTA-9-TETRAHYDROCANNABINOL CARBOXYLIC ACID (A METABOLITE OF MARIJUANA). GROSS WT OF THE ACFT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 2411 LBS; ITS MAX CERTIFIED GROSS WT WAS 2325 LBS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.