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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improperly secured upper cowl fasteners by unknown person(s).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 12, 1997 · about 1:30 pm local time
- 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
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX97LA181.