- Date
- November 25, 1990, 16:30 local (Nov 26, 1990, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Livermore, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2601XPiper PA-28-161
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901125051999A
- Case key
- 27067
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
Inadvertent flight by the pilot into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and her failure to maintain adequate altitude and/or clearance from mountainous terrain. The adverse weather and terrain 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
The non-instrument rated pilot took off with a svfr clearance, intending to fly home. Weather at the departure airport (elev 397 ft) was: sky partially obscured, estimated 900 ft broken, 3000 ft overcast, visibility 4 miles with rain. During departure, the visibility decreased to one mile, and the pilot became uncertain of her position in deteriorating weather. She encountered rising terrain and initiated a climb. Subsequently, the airplane crashed on mountainous terrain aproximately 8 miles south-southeast of the departure airport at an elevation of about 2800 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2601X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28-161
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-8516085
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D3G, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Trans Bay Airways
- Departed
- LVK · Livermore, CA
- Destination
- SQL · San Carlos, 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
- 26
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 122 total · 26 in this make and model · 29 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 20 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- 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.