# Accident 20040901022059A: Cessna 172S, Willits, CA, September 1, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 1, 2004, 21:15 local time
- Place: Willits, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Descent
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.4503° N, 123.3792° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.4503&lon=-123.3792&mi=10
- Aircraft: N897TW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N897TW-2004-10-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 172S (registry code 2072439, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-360 series (registry code 17025, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 172S
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,649 total, 167 in this make and model, 24 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX04CA309](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04CA309) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040901022059A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON A FLIGHT FROM WATSONVILLE, CA TO WILLITS, CA THE PILOT COULD NOT FIND THE AIRPORT. HE DESCENDED TO ALLOW HIM A BETTER LOOK AND FLEW INTO THE TREES. HE DOES NOT REMEMBER ATTEMPTING TO STOP THE DESCENT. THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE NOT OPERATING AND A NOTAM WAS PUBLISHED. A RED OBSTRUCTION LIGHT ON THE AIRPORT TERMINAL, THE AIRPORT BEACON AND THE SIGN AT THE GAS PUMPS WERE ALL WORKING. PILOT CHECKED WEATHER BUT NOT NOTAMS.

## 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 LAX04CA309](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04CA309), Sep 2, 2004: Cessna 172S (N897TW), Willits, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: the pilot's inadvertent descent and controlled flight into obstacles while maneuvering to land. Contributing factors were the dark, nighttime condition, which impaired the pilot's visual perceptions,…

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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