- Date
- March 2, 1991, 18:55 local (Mar 3, 1991, 02:55 UTC)
- Place
- Monterey Park, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5290TPiper PA-28R-200
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report July 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910302003839A
- Case key
- 26983
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
Suicide.
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 pilot unexplainably quit work and left home ten days before the accident. Seven days later the pilot returned home and left a suicide note. On the day of the accident police officers questioned the pilot and he stated he left the suicide note to get revenge on his wife. The officers did not detain the pilot. The pilot departed the airport in his airplane and flew for about 5 hours and 20 minutes. Witnesses at the accident site reported that the airplane circled the area and executed at least one diving, pull up maneuver. After completing that maneuver the airplane entered into a straight nose down attitude and crashed into the house. There was no fire. The engine sounded normal while circling the area. During the descent the engine sound increased to a high pitched whine until impact. The investigation disclosed no evidence of any preexisting malfunctions or failures which would have rendered the airplane incapable of operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5290T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28R-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28R-7235217
- Airframe hours
- 3,179
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1C, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Gunnell Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Alexiadis/Miltiadis/Athanasia
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 28, 1990 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- SMO · Santa Monica, 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
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 110 total · 110 in this make and model · 60 as pilot in command · 33 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °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 N5290T · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.