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| Date: | Sunday 3 October 1993 |
| Time: | 00:29 LT |
| Type: |  Cessna 177RG |
| Owner/operator: | Dean Sheppard |
| Registration: | N45022 |
| MSN: | 177RG1089 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1977 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2513 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Petaluma, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Reno, NV (KRNO) |
| (O69) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
THE AIRPLANE WAS ON A CROSS-COUNTY FLIGHT ON A BRIGHT MOONLIT NIGHT FROM RENO, NV, TO PETALUMA, CA. DURING ARRIVAL, THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH RISING TERRAIN ABOUT 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE AIRPORT AT ABOUT 400' MSL. ABOUT 25 MILES NORTH- WEST AT SONOMA COUNTY AIRPORT, THE 2340 PDT WEATHER WAS IN PART: 400' OVERCAST, 10 MILES VISIBILITY, WIND FROM 140 DEG AT 5 KTS. A COMMERCIAL PILOT REPORTED THAT EARLIER THAT EVENING, CLOUD BASES AT PETALUMA WERE BETWEEN 300' & 400' AGL. ON THE FOLLOWING MORNING, CLOUD BASES WERE STILL PRESENT AT ABOUT 400' AGL. THE AIRPLANE WAS EQUIPPED WITH DUAL VOR'S & LORAN & THERE WAS A PORTABLE GPS RECEIVER ABOARD. THE AIRPORT HAD A VOR (RWY 29) APPROACH. MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE FOR THAT APPROACH WAS 1080' MSL, BUT THE FLIGHT HAD NO FLIGHT PLAN OR ATC CLEARANCE. THE OWNER/PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED, THOUGH ANOTHER PILOT, WHO WAS ABOARD, HAD A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE WITH AN INSTRUMENT RATING. INVESTIGATION DID NOT DETERMINE WHICH PILOT WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND.
Probable Cause: VFR FLIGHT BY THE PILOT(S) INTO INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS (IMC), AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER ALTITUDE AND/OR CLEARANCE FROM TERRAIN, WHILE APPROACHING THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE LOW CEILING AND TERRAIN.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX94FA004
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 2 October 1993 | N45022 | Dean Sheppard | 4 | Petaluma, CA | |
w/o |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Mar-2024 15:58 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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