- Date
- August 8, 1989, 05:20 local (12:20 UTC)
- Place
- Ramona, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6067ZPiper PA-601P
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890808032559A
- Case key
- 26237
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's VFR flight in instrument meteorologial conditions (IMC) and spatial disorientation, which resulted in an inadvertent descent into the ground. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, low ceiling, and the pilot's lack of a preflight weather briefing.
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
The instrument rated pilot took off from his home, uncontrolled airport, for a flight under visual flight rules to a distant airport. A ground witness stated that instrument meteorological conditions existed at the airport of departure at the time of the takeoff. The pilot inadvertently entered instrument meteorological conditions, began an uncontrolled descent, and collided with the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6067Z
- Reported as
- Piper PA-601P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 61P06660
- Airframe hours
- 878
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-S1A5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Robert L. Blunt
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 19, 1989 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- L39
- Destination
- SLC · Salt Lake City, UT
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,843 total · 222 in this make and model · 1,789 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.