Piper PA-28-181 N6272J

Summary

On 19 December 1998 at about 09:48 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N6272J was involved in an accident near Santa Clarita, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

19 December 1998 at 09:48

Classification

Accident

Location

Santa Clarita, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N6272J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake Havasu → Van Nuys

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX99FA053

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft. Factors were the night weather conditions and the lack of total and recent instrument flight time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private renter pilot had flown a night cross-country flight from southern California to Arizona. Upon returning at 0148 to his home base, a low stratus cloud cover existed. He had been receiving VFR flight following and subsequently requested an ILS approach for his destination airport. The pilot was unable to follow the controller's altitude and heading instructions. He was advised left of course and below his assigned altitude four times with a loss of radar contact twice. The VOR/LOC indicator had been out for repairs three times after complaints from renter pilots that the localizer needle was sticking or had poor needle deflection. The pilot's logbook noted VOR and localizer problems twice, 6 months prior to the accident. According to the pilot's logbook, he had flown about 31 hours in the past 6 months with .9 simulated and no actual instrument time. The pilot's last third-class flight physical of record occurred 27 months prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.