Cessna 340A accident near 12 N.E. Burbank, California, March 17, 1982
On March 17, 1982 at about 7:37 am local time, a Cessna 340A, registered N98546, was destroyed in an accident near 12 N.E. Burbank, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 1982 · about 7:37 am local time
- Place
- 12 N.E. Burbank, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A · all 340As on the register
- Registration
- N98546 · no longer on the register · serial 026
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO PROCEED ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN. AFTER BEING CLEARED TO 15,000 FT MSL, HE REPORTED HAVING TROUBLE MAINTAINING HIS AIRSPEED AND SUBSEQUENTLY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED AT NIGHT NEAR THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN RIDGE AT ABOUT 4700 FT MSL. THE WRECKAGE WAS DEMOLISHED AND SCATTERED OVER A LARGE AREA, BUT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AN INFLIGHT BREAKUP. SOME PARTS OF THE WRECKAGE (INCLUDING THE RIGHT ENGINE) WERE NOT FOUND ON THE SNOW COVERED TERRAIN. THE WEATHER FORECAST CALLED FOR: THUNDERSTORMS IN LINES, MOUNTAINS OBSCURED, MODERATE AND OCCASIONALLY SEVERE TURBULENCE BELOW 20,000 FT, OCCASIONAL MODERATE ICING IN CLOUDS AND IN PRECIPITATION FROM THE FREEZING LEVEL (3000 FT) TO 20,000 FT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT CERTIFIED FOR FLIGHT IN KNOWN ICING CONDITIONS.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 759 hours in all; 341 in this make and model; 637 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,076 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,990 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bacchus Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 11:29 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.