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19980607012519A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Cessna 152 · Descanso, CA · June 7, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 7, 1998 · 14:50 local
Place
Descanso, CA
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N5343M
NTSB investigation
NTSBLAX98LA187
Reported as
Cessna 152
Reported engine
Lycoming O235L2C
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
10,000 total1,000 in this make and model200 in the last 90 days
N5343MRegistration cancelled Sep 6, 2001 · Cessna 152S/N 15284547Airframe modelCessna 152

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

VFR not advised CFI wnet anyway. Stalled in steep turnback encountering. Weathr as given. 152 burned on impact. (-23) on June 7, 1998, jean-jacques r. bellier, acting as a flight instructor, with student pilot richardson brian murphy aatthe controls, departed montgomery airport. The flight was planned as a cross country flight to imperial airport in a Cessna 152. Bellier was in the left seat. The weather was reported as moderate to sever turbulence over mountains along the route of flight. Eastbound at 4000 feet, they encountered low clouds. Bellier took the controls and attempted a 180 degree left turn. While in the turn, a strong downdraft was encountered, resulting in collision with the ground. (.4) the purpose of the flight was to conduct the cross-country portion of the student's flight training to obtain a private pilot certificate. A coastal mountain range bisected the course between the takeoff airport, which was under the influence of cloud layers, and the destination airport, which was in clear weather conditions. Both the certified flight instructor (CFI) and student received three separate weather briefings stating that visual flight rules flight was not recom mended along the intended route of flight due to mountain obscuration and moderate turbulence. As the flight proceeded into mountainous terrain, the flight encountered clouds that were merging with higher terrain and the CFI elected to turn around. The CFI said that half way through the 180-degree turn, they were struck by a strong downdraft that pushed the aircraft into the ground. A witness to the accident stated that he saw the airplane at 150 feet above ground level as it came out of the clouds executing a left turn, and then saw it abruptly descend and impact trees and terrain. The witness also said that there were strong gusty wind conditions present at the accident site. No discrepancies were found during an examination of the engine or airframe. A meteorological study was conducted that substantiated the national weather service forecast in effect at the time of the accident.

As the FAA filed it

VFR NOT ADVISED CFI WNET ANYWAY. STALLED IN STEEP TURNBACK ENCOUNTERING. WEATHR AS GIVEN. 152 BURNED ON IMPACT. (-23) ON JUNE 7, 1998, JEAN-JACQUES R. BELLIER, ACTING AS A FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, WITH STUDENT PILOT RICHARDSON BRIAN MURPHY AATTHE CONTROLS, DEPARTED MONTGOMERY AIRPORT. THE FLIGHT WAS PLANNED AS A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT TO IMPERIAL AIRPORT IN A CESSNA 152. BELLIER WAS IN THE LEFT SEAT. THE WEATHER WAS REPORTED AS MODERATE TO SEVER TURBULENCE OVER MOUNTAINS ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT. EASTBOUND AT 4000 FEET, THEY ENCOUNTERED LOW CLOUDS. BELLIER TOOK THE CONTROLS AND ATTEMPTED A 180 DEGREE LEFT TURN. WHILE IN THE TURN, A STRONG DOWNDRAFT WAS ENCOUNTERED, RESULTING IN COLLISION WITH THE GROUND. (.4) THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS TO CONDUCT THE CROSS-COUNTRY PORTION OF THE STUDENT'S FLIGHT TRAINING TO OBTAIN A PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE. A COASTAL MOUNTAIN RANGE BISECTED THE COURSE BETWEEN THE TAKEOFF AIRPORT, WHICH WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF CLOUD LAYERS, AND THE DESTINATION AIRPORT, WHICH WAS IN CLEAR WEATHER CONDITIONS. BOTH THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND STUDENT RECEIVED THREE SEPARATE WEATHER BRIEFINGS STATING THAT VISUAL FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOM MENDED ALONG THE INTENDED ROUTE OF FLIGHT DUE TO MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION AND MODERATE TURBULENCE. AS THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED INTO MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, THE FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED CLOUDS THAT WERE MERGING WITH HIGHER TERRAIN AND THE CFI ELECTED TO TURN AROUND. THE CFI SAID THAT HALF WAY THROUGH THE 180-DEGREE TURN, THEY WERE STRUCK BY A STRONG DOWNDRAFT THAT PUSHED THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE GROUND. A WITNESS TO THE ACCIDENT STATED THAT HE SAW THE AIRPLANE AT 150 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AS IT CAME OUT OF THE CLOUDS EXECUTING A LEFT TURN, AND THEN SAW IT ABRUPTLY DESCEND AND IMPACT TREES AND TERRAIN. THE WITNESS ALSO SAID THAT THERE WERE STRONG GUSTY WIND CONDITIONS PRESENT AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND DURING AN EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE OR AIRFRAME. A METEOROLOGICAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED THAT SUBSTANTIATED THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST IN EFFECT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB LAX98LA187Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportDescanso, CAthe certified flight instructor's disregard of the weather briefings and forecasted en route weather conditions, and, his failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance in mountainous terrain. Contributing to the accident were instrument meteorological…Jun 7, 1998 · Destroyed

Other reports on N5343M · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Incident 19850123002959IFinal Approach · Pueblo, COPilot could not locate airport for refueling. Elected to fly to next stop. Ran out of fuel, landed in field.Jan 23, 1985 · Minor damage