Piper PA-28-161 N39778
3 January 1991 · Glendale, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 3 January 1991 at about 21:00 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N39778, operated by CAL State Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Glendale, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Glendale, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.1605, -118.2596
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161
- Registration
- N39778
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- CAL State Flying Club
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Pacoima → Long Beach
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91FA065
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT VFR FLIGHT INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND HIS IMPROPER INFLIGHT DECISION TO TURN TO THE LEFT, WHICH RESULTED IN FLIGHT TOWARD HIGHER TERRAIN. THE TERRAIN AND WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT RCVD TRAFFIC ADVISORIES FROM BURBANK APCH CONTROL TO PROCEED EASTBOUND THRU THE AREA OF BURBANK ARSA TO INTERCEPT V459. AT 1258:56 PST, RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED & THE PLT WAS GIVEN A VFR TRANSPONDER CODE & TOLD TO MAINTAIN VFR FLT. ABOUT 45 SEC LATER, AN ELT SIGNAL WAS HEARD FOR A BRIEF TIME. TWO DAYS LATER, WRECKAGE OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN ABOUT 5 MI EAST OF THE BURBANK ARPT. ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 1900'. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT WHEN RADAR SERVICE WAS TERMINATED, THE ACFT WAS FLYING EASTBOUND AT ABOUT 1900' MSL. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT TURNED LEFT TOWARD HIGH TERRAIN & COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE CABLE, THEN CRASHED & BURNED. IMPACT OCCURRED AS THE ACFT WAS ON A NORTHERLY HEADING & IN A LEFT TURN. AT 1246 PST, THE BURBANK WX WAS IN PART: 1000' SCT, ESTD 3000' BKN, 5000' OVC, VIS 4 MI WITH RAIN, WIND CALM. ABOUT 1/2 HR LATER, THE WX AT BURBANK WAS: 600' SCT, 1500' OVC, VIS 4 MI WITH RAIN, WND CALM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Hibbing, Minnesota, United States | WM. & Audrey Svigel | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 1991 | Piper PA-28 | Berryville, Arkansas, United States | Snider, Richard D. | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Nov 1991 | Piper PA-28-161 | Greeley, Colorado, United States | P.c. Flyers | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1991 | Piper PA-28-180 | Old Bridge, New Jersey, United States | Martin Sade | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jan 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Titusville, Florida, United States | Achord, Marvin L. | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 1991 | Piper PA-28-140 | Yuma, Colorado, United States | Aero Training of the Rockies | No injuries | - |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |