- Date
- January 17, 1989, 23:45 local (Jan 18, 1989, 07:45 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Ana, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N6913DPiper PA-32R-301T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890117000869A
- Case key
- 26324
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
Poor preflight planning and preparation by selecting the wrong runway despite NOTAM and ATIS information indicating the runway was closed.
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 the takeoff roll, the airlane collided with a generator that was positioned on the runway to illuminate an x indicating that the runway was closed. The pilot did not realize that the runway was closed even after listening to an ATIS message stating that the runway was closed. A NOTAM was in effect reporting the same. The pilot said he heard what he expected to hear when he 'listened' to the ATIS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6913D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-301T (PA-32R-301)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-8529016
- Airframe hours
- 583
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David W. Berglund
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 7, 1988 · 20 hours before
- Destination
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Airport
- SNA · John Wayne, runway 19R, 5,700 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 55
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,130 total · 673 in this make and model · 58 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.