- Date
- January 3, 1991, 13:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Glendale, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N39778Piper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 17, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910103000259A
- Case key
- 26970
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 inadvertent VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his improper inflight decision to turn to the left, which resulted in flight toward higher terrain. The terrain and weather conditions were related factors.
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
After takeoff, the plt rcvd traffic advisories from burbank apch control to proceed eastbound thru the area of burbank arsa to intercept V459. At 1258:56 PST, radar service was terminated & the plt was given a VFR transponder code & told to maintain VFR flt. About 45 sec later, an ELT signal was heard for a brief time. Two days later, wreckage of the acft was found in mountainous terrain about 5 mi east of the burbank arpt. Elevation of the crash site was about 1900'. An investigation revealed that when radar service was terminated, the acft was flying eastbound at about 1900' MSL. Subsequently, it turned left toward high terrain & collided with a power line cable, then crashed & burned. Impact occurred as the acft was on a northerly heading & in a left turn. At 1246 PST, the burbank wx was in part: 1000' sct, estd 3000' bkn, 5000' ovc, vis 4 mi with rain, wind calm. About 1/2 hr later, the wx at burbank was: 600' sct, 1500' ovc, vis 4 mi with rain, wnd calm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39778
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 79-16009
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Cal State Flying Club
- Registered owner
- James E. Guthrie
- Departed
- WHP · Pacoima, CA
- Destination
- LGB · Long Beach, 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 395 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Observed at
- BUR, 5 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.