Piper PA-32R-300 accident near Burbank, California, May 12, 1997
On May 12, 1997 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-32R-300, registered N3609Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Burbank, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improperly secured upper cowl fasteners by unknown person(s).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 1997 · about 1:30 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Burbank, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32R-300 · all PA-32R-300s on the register
- Registration
- N3609Q · registry record · serial 32R-7780319
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The upper engine cowling separated from the nose section during flight and lodged on the horizontal stabilizer. The cowling remained on the stabilizer until after landing and then fell off on the runway during the rollout. Postflight examination of portions of the upper cowl, which contained three fasteners, did not disclose any damage or excessive wear to the fasteners. However, the two front alignment pins that attach to the lower cowl were missing.
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: 1,350 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,366 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 6, 1997; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-KIG5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BBK CA at 1:30 pm
- Destination: WJF Lancaster CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm from KBU, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N3609Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N3609Q on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six, Lance and Saratoga 3,916 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-KIG5D 4,223 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- General WM J Fox Airfield · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,134 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N3609Q 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX97LA181.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.