Accident Cessna 172M N5312R,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 35775
 
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Date:Sunday 21 November 1993
Time:20:55 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic C172 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 172M
Owner/operator:Charles L. Cook
Registration: N5312R
MSN: 17263514
Engine model:Lycoming O-320-E2D
Fatalities:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Category:Accident
Location:Julian, CA -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:San Diego, CA (KMYF)
Destination airport:Chandler, AZ (P19)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot and his pilot-rated passenger departed for a night cross-country flight. They were receiving visual flight rules advisories and had been assigned a discrete transponder code. They were climbing to an altitude of 9,500 feet msl, and were at 9,100 feet msl when radio and radar contact were lost. The last recorded radio transmission from the pilot was, 'We're in a flat (blocked out), we're going to lose it dad.' A search was initiated, and the airplane and its occupants were found the next day. The cloud bases in the area were reported by other pilots to be about 7,100 feet msl, with tops about 13,000 feet. The light conditions were reported to be 'dark night' with little surface ambient light in the sparsely populated area. The pilot's logbook was examined, and no indication was found of the pilot having flown during the 90-day period preceding the accident. Neither the pilot nor the pilot-rated passenger had an instrument rating. Postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any preexisting deficiencies.

Probable Cause: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AIRCRAFT CONTROL. FACTORS IN THIS ACCIDENT WERE: 1) THE DARK NIGHT AND LACK OF AMBIENT LIGHT WHICH RESULTED IN THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY FLYING FROM VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS; 2) THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT FLIGHT EXPERIENCE, AND 3) SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: LAX94FA056
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 9 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB LAX94FA056

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2008 10:30 ASN archive Added
21-Dec-2016 19:22 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
10-Apr-2024 09:59 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report]

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