- Date
- October 13, 1990, 13:58 local (20:58 UTC)
- Place
- Agua Dulce, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5809UPiper PA-28-140
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901013045019A
- Case key
- 27042
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
A failure of the pilot to perform preflight planning.
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 initial climb towards rising terrain, the pilot noticed he was not very high but sensed no immediate danger. He stated he planned to navigate through a lower pass in the hills but noticed his rate of climb was very low and he could not improve it. He stated the terrain was rising faster than he was. According to Piper aircraft company calculations, the aircraft was loaded 3/4/ of an inch forward of the maximum forward center of gravity limit of the aircraft. Calculations established that the terrain rose at a rate of 450 feet per mile while the maximum climb rate of the aircraft was 375 feet per mile.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5809U
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-140
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-1926
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E3D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- R.I. Flying Club
- Registered owner
- Krumm, Gerald J.
- Destination
- 4NW · Lancaster, 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 156 total · 88 in this make and model · 90 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °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.