- Date
- January 23, 1992, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pacoima, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8662YPiper PA-30
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920123001079A
- Case key
- 27543
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
The pilot's improper preflight and delay in aborting the takeoff. Contributing to this accident was the unlocked nose baggage door.
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 takeoff roll the baggage door came open. The pilot elected to abort the takeoff, but the remaining runway was insufficient to stop the airplane on the runway. The pilot intentionally steered the airplane off the left side of the runway to avoid a stone wall at the end of the runway. Examination of the nose baggage door disclosed that its locking mechanism was only partially engaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8662Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-1804
- Airframe hours
- 2,642
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-C1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Smith, James A.
- Registered owner
- Smith, James A.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 20, 1991 · 42 hours before
- Airport
- WHP · Whiteman, runway 12, 3,960 × 40 ft, asphalt
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,200 total · 750 in this make and model · 3,150 as pilot in command · 6 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °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 N8662Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.