- Date
- January 16, 1987, 00:00 local (08:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mt. Baldy, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5138VMorrisey 2150A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870116000869A
- Case key
- 25374
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
During a local flt, the airplane was seen circling over a ridge four times. On the fifth pass, the airplane disappeared northbound into the clouds. A witness reported that at the time the mt tops were covered with fog and that blizzard conditions existed. During the on scene investigation, it was found that the airplane's left wing struck a tree. The airplane continued to travel 300 to 400 yards before coming to rest on the FAR side of a deep ravine. There was no evidence to suggest any pre-impact failure or malfunction of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5138V
- Reported as
- Morrisey 2150A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- SP-34
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2C, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Robert D. Burford
- Registered owner
- Robert D Burford
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- EMT · El Monte, CA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,900 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- 360° at 40 knots, gusting 50
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.