# Accident 20011031039029A: Cessna 182S, Little River, CA, October 31, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 31, 2001, 18:30 local time
- Place: Little River, CA
- Airport: Mendocino County
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.2753° N, 123.7000° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.2753&lon=-123.7000&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7270E, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N7270E-2005-02-14) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 182S (registry code 2072701, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-182s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 182S
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX02FA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02FA019) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011031039029A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ACCORDING TO JOHN MERRIMAN, OWNER OF COAST FLYERS, BASED AT THE MENDOCINO AIRPORT (O48), HE HEARD AN AIRPLANE CIRCLING OVERHEAD. THE AIRPORT OFFICE WAS CLOSED WHICH, NORMALLY OPERATES THE UNICOM, SO JOHN WENT OUTSIDE WITH HIS HAND HELD RADIO AND CALLED THE AIRPLANE CIRCLING AND ASKED IF HE COULD HELP. JOEL BORNSTEIN ANSWERED AND SAID, "HI JOHN ITS JOEL, DO YOU SEE ANY HOLES IN THE CLOUD COVER." JOHN ANSWERED HE DID NOT, AND THAT THE CEILING WAS LOW AND DID NOT LOOK GOOD. A FEW MINUTES LATER JOEL SAID "I HAVE THE AIRPORT, 30 SECONDS LATER JOEL SAID "UH-OH, I LOST THE AIRPORT." THAT WAS THE LAST TRANSMISSION JOHN HEARD. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A REDWOOD TREE ABOUT 3 MILES, NORTHEAST OF THE LITTLE RIVER AIRPORT. THE AIRPLANE BURNED, LEAVING ONLY THE WINGS, ENGINE, AND A PORTION OF THE TAIL.

## 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 LAX02FA019](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX02FA019), Nov 1, 2001: Cessna 182S (N7270E), Little River, CA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a collision with trees and terrain.

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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