# Accident 19890105000229A: Piper PA28180, San Bernardino, CA, January 5, 1989

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 5, 1989, 10:15 local time
- Place: San Bernardino, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Unauth Low Level Opns
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.1400° N, 117.2991° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.1400&lon=-117.2991&mi=10
- Aircraft: N5157L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N5157L-2013-04-01) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-180 (registry code 7102808, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-180) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28180
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 409 total, 332 in this make and model, 36 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX89FA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89FA078) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19890105000229A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

FLEW INTO SIDE OF A CLOUD-OBSCURED RIDGE TRYING TO FOLLOW A HIGHWAY THROUGH A MOUNTAIN PASS.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX89FA078](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX89FA078), Jan 5, 1989: Piper PA-28-180 (N5157L), San Bernardino, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: THE PILOT'S DECISION TO CONTINUE VFR FLIGHT AFTER ENCOUNTERING INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TRANSIT THROUGH A MOUNTAIN PASS. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WAS: THE PILOT'S…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.
