- Date
- October 2, 1989, 19:30 local (Oct 3, 1989, 02:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pacoima, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N12377North American SNJ-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891002039259A
- Case key
- 26665
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 misjudgement of the proper altitude and distance from the runway during a night approach.
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 night straight-in approach the acft collided with an unlighted pole 41 ft AGL 1700 ft short of the threshold. The plt stated that the visual cues he was using outside the cockpit were inadequate for his nighttime approach. After the collision the plt executed a go-around and returned to van nuys.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12377
- Reported as
- North American SNJ-5
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 85086
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 600 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- R. J. Richardson
- Departed
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Airport
- WHP · Whiteman, runway 12, 3,725 × 40 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
- 68
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 3,800 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 135° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N12377 · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.