- Date
- January 21, 1991, 08:58 local (16:58 UTC)
- Place
- Anaheim, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1885HPiper PA 32-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910121003189A
- Case key
- 27103
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
Maintenance personnel in that they improperly adjusted the left magneto which resulted in the complete erosion of the electrodes from six of the twelve installed spark plugs. The installation of spark plugs with colder heat ranges than specified by the manufacturer and rising terrain ahead of the aircraft during the forced landing were factors in the accident.
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 installing spark plugs with heat ranges colder than specified by the engine manufacturer and adjusting the left magneto 10 degrees before its specified adjustment the aircraft was released for flight. The pilot took off for his non scheduled part 135 flight. Enroute the engine lost power and the aircraft began to descend. The pilot made a forced landing in a dry lake bed. The landing surface was too short and the left landing gear collapsed as the pilot attempted to steer the aircraft away from a steep bank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1885H
- Reported as
- Piper PA 32-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-7780197
- Engine
- Lycoming I0540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Ameriflight
- Registered owner
- Ameriflight
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 13, 1991 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- ONT · Ontario, CA
- Destination
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,930 total · 320 in this make and model · 2,740 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 90° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Observed at
- FUL, 8 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.