- Date
- April 20, 1991, 20:53 local (Apr 21, 1991, 03:53 UTC)
- Place
- Carpenteria, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8019NPiper PA-28-181
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 25, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910420011729A
- Case key
- 26995
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
1) Inadequate weather evaluation by the pilot, 2) poor inflight decision to try and continue VMC flight, and 3) the pilot's lack of total experience.
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 took off in VMC conditions from an airport that is on the coast. The surrounding mountains a few miles inland had been obscured by clouds and low ceilings for several hours. About 15 minutes after takeoff, the pilot contacted an approach control facility to request visual flight rules flight following. About one minute after that first contact, the pilot started giving indications that he was having problems with the weather and with finding his exact position. Within about 3 1/2 minutes after the initial contact with the controller, the pilot said that he couldn't see 'anything'. That was his last known radio transmission. His transponder squawk code disappeared from the controller's radar screen at about the same time as the last known transmission. The controller asked the pilot several times if he was VMC or VFR. The pilot responded affirmatively every time. The aircraft collided with a mountain at about the 3,300 feet level.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8019N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-181
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8290073
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A4M, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- West Wind Aviation
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- SBA · Santa Barbara, CA
- Destination
- VNY · Van Nuys, 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
- 20
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 75 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft broken
- Observed at
- SBA, 19 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.