# Accident 19981219033529A: Piper PA28181, Santa Clarita, CA, December 19, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 19, 1998, 01:48 local time
- Place: Santa Clarita, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.3917° N, 118.5426° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Santa Clarita, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.3917&lon=-118.5426&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6272J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6272J-2000-04-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28-181 (registry code 7102807, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28-181) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA28181
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4M
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 555 total, 15 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99FA053](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99FA053) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981219033529A

## Narrative

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

ACFT CRASHED INTO A HILL AT THE 3000 FOOT LEVEL WHILE ON ILS APPROACE TO RWY 16R. (.19)ON DECEMBER 19, 1998, AT 0154 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, A PIPER PA28-181, N6272J, WAS DESTROYED AFTER COLLIDING WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN NEAR SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA.  THE PILOT RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES.  INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE.  NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT.  ACCORDING TO THE AIRCRAFT OWNER, THE PILOT WAS TO HAVE DEPARTED VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA, ABOUT 1800 FOR LAKE HAVASU CITY, ARIZONA, AND RETURNED TO VAN NUYS BY 0200.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              (.4)THE PRIVATE RENTER PILOT HAD FLOWN A NIGHT CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO ARIZONA. UPON RETURNING AT 0148 TO HIS HOME BASE, A LOW STRATUS CLOUD COVER EXISTED.  HE HAD BEEN RECEIVING VFR FLIGHT FOLLOWING AND SUBSEQUENTLY REQUESTED AN ILS APPROACH FOR HIS DESTINATION AIRPORT.  THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO FOLLOW THE CONTROLLER'S ALTITUDE AND HEADING INSTRUCTIONS.  HE WAS ADVISED LEFT OF COURSE AND BELOW HIS ASSIGNED ALTITUDE FOUR TIMES WITH A LOSS OF RADAR CONTACT TWICE.  THE VOR/LOC INDICATOR HAD BEEN OUT FOR REPAIRS THREE TIMES AFTER COMPLAINTS FROM RENTER PILOTS THAT THE LOCALIZER NEEDLE WAS STICKING OR HAD POOR NEEDLE DEFLECTION.  THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK NOTED VOR AND LOCALIZER PROBLEMS TWICE, 6 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.  ACCORDING TO THE PILOT'S LOGBOOK, HE HAD FLOWN ABOUT 31 HOURS IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS WITH .9 SIMULATED AND NO ACTUAL INSTRUMENT TIME.  THE PILOT'S LAST THIRD-CLASS FLIGHT PHYSICAL OF RECORD OCCURRED 27 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.

## 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 LAX99FA053](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99FA053), Dec 19, 1998: Piper PA-28-181 (N6272J), Santa Clarita, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Factors were the night weather conditions and the lack of total and recent instrument flight time.

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.

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