20010401005869A

(.19) On April 1, 2001, about 0023 PST, a Cessna 172N, N739WE, operated by security aviation of hawthorne, California, was destroyed during the collision sequence with communication wires and terrain at Rialto, CA. The commercial flight instructor rated pilot and passenger both received fatal injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight operating under 14 CFR part 91 and no flight plan was filed. The accident flight was destined for hawthorne. On March 31, 2001, the airplane had been the subject of an FAA alnot, issued at 2210, for failure to cancel an instrument flight plan with southern California TRACON from hawthorne to Rialto, an uncontrolled airport. The pilot had obtained a FAA preflight weather briefing at 1551. According to the instrument flight plan information, the estimated time of arrival at Rialto had been 1845. Subsequently, the airplane was located at the Rialto airport parking ramp by san bernardino county aero bureau personnel located on the airport. The alnot had been cancelled at 2240. The operator stated that the pilot and passenger had flown to Rialto to visit with friends and were to return to hawthorne. The pilot was a flight instructor for the operator and was rated in airplane instrument and single engine land. (-23) according to available radar data, the mishap a/c took off from Rialto airport at about 12:22 am (PST) heading east. The a/c made an immediate left 180 degree turn, continued on a westerly heading, then completed another left turn of 360 degrees. This was followed by a right 270 degree turn, resulting in a southerly heading at an extremely low altitude. The highest altitude recorded by the radar was 1700 feet mean sea level (MSL) which is approx. 245 feet above the airport elevation of 1455 feet MSL. The altitude recorded by the radar was taken from the mode c of the a/c transponder and is not corrected for nonstandard barometric pressure. The barometric pressure at the Rialto airport is not available. After about 90 seconds of flight, the a/c collided with communications cables on the north side of the road, continued across the roadway and contacted electrical power lines along the side of the roadway and crashed. There was a post crash fire that consummed most of the cabin in the a/c. the a/c was approx. 20 feet above the the ground on a southerly heading, less than a mile away and perpendicular to the approach end of the Rialto airport runeay 6 when it contacted the first set of wires. Weather at the time of the accident was dense ground fog in the area of the crash. The moon had set about 30 minutes before the start of the flight. There was no natural ambient illuminations. Weather observations are not available at the departure airport, but the dense fog was still in the area when emergency vehicles arived at the crash site. Visibility was as low as several hundred feet. The ontario airport, about 10 miles west, was reporting a temperature and dew point of 13 degrees centigrade with light winds. The pilot received a weather briefing from the riverside flight service station but did not file an IFR flight plan for his intended flight from Rialto, CA to hawthorne, CA. The pilot remained in uncontrolled class g airspace dueing the entire flight and did not attampt to contact air traffic control. An examination of the engine revealed no malfunctions prior to the crash. The pilot was apparently trying to maintain VFR flight in instrument meteorological conditions, became spatially disoriented and crashed trying to return to the airport. (.4) history of flight: on April 1, 2001, about 0023 hours pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, N739WE, operated by security aviation of hawthorne, California, was destroyed during the collision sequence with communication wires and terrain at Rialto, California. The commercial flight instructor rated pilot and passenger both received fatal injuries. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight operating under 14 CFR part 91, and no flight plan was filed. The accident flight was destined for hawthorne. On March 31, 2001, the airplane had been the subject of a federal aviation administration (FAA) alert notification (alnot), issued at 2210, for failure to cancel an instrument flight plan for a flight between hawthorne and Rialto, California. The Rialto airport is uncontrolled. The pilot had obtained an FAA preflight weather briefing at 1551, for the flight to Rialto. According to the instrument flight plan information, the estimated time of arrival at Rialto was 1845. Subsequently, the airplane was located at the Rialto airport parking ramp by san bernardino county aero bureau perso nnel located on the airport. The alnot was canceled at 2240. The pilot obtained a standard weather briefing for the return flight to hawthorne at 2319. He was advised of airmets for IFR ceilings and visibilities for his route of flight. The operator stated that the pilot and passenger had flown to Rialto to visit with friends and were to return to hawthorne. The pilot was a flight instructor for the operator and possessed airplane single engine land and instrument ratings.