# Accident 20010328040069A: Cessna 172N, Santa Monica, CA, March 28, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 28, 2001, 18:58 local time
- Place: Santa Monica, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Scud Running
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.0217° N, 118.5819° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.0217&lon=-118.5819&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2838E, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2838E-2002-01-11) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172N (registry code 2072434, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172n) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172N
- Reported engine: LYC O360A4M
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- Pilot flight hours: 150 total, 50 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX01FA129](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01FA129) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010328040069A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) PILOT WITH TWO PASSENGERS DEPARTED SANTA MONICA AIRPORT AT 1858 PST FOR A SIGHTSEEING FLIGHT "UP AND DOWN THE SHORELINE". CLOUD BASES FROM SHORE WESTWARD WERE 1100' AGL WITH VISIBILITY APPROXIMATELY 5-6 MILES. FAA RADAR SHOWS THAT THE AIRCRAFT FLEW APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE OFFSHORE WHILE MAINTAINING BETWEEN 900 TO 1,100'. AFTER PASSING THE PACIFIC PALISADES AREA THE AIRCRAFT TURNED SOUTHERLY, NEARLY PERPENDICULAR TO SHORELINE. SECONDS LATER THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED FROM 1100' TO 600 FEET WHILE IN A RIGHT TURN. THE LAST RADAR HIT WAS AT 600 FEET APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE SOUTH OF TOPANGA BEACH. A WITNESS AT TOPANGA BEACH SAW AN AIRCRAFT FALL INTO THE WATER AND CALLED 911. A SEARCH THAT NIGHT BY THE COAST GUARD AND LOS ANGELES COUNTY LIFEGUARDS FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF WRECKAGE. THE NEXT MORNING ONE BODY WAS FOUND FLOATING NEAR THE CRASH AREA ALONG WITH A PART OF THE LANDING GEAR. SEARCHES BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES FOUND LITTLE WRECKAGE. BY APRIL 10, THE AIRCRAFT'S CRASH LOCATION WAS PIN-POINTED AND THE WRECKAGE WAS RAISED. TWO BODIES WERE FOUND.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX01FA129](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01FA129), Mar 29, 2001: Cessna 172N (N2838E), Santa Monica, CA, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's loss of airplane control while maneuvering due to spatial disorientation. Contributing factors were the dark night, the marine cloud layer that restricted the pilot's cruising altitude,…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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