# Accident 20050508011859A: Cessna 140, New Cuyama, CA, May 8, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 8, 2005, 10:00 local time
- Place: New Cuyama, CA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.8814° N, 119.8961° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.8814&lon=-119.8961&mi=10
- Aircraft: N89671, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N89671-2007-04-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 140 (registry code 2071602, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-140) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental 0-200 series (registry code 17020, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-0-200-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 140
- Reported engine: AMTR O200
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX05LA163](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA163) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050508011859A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON MAY 8, 2005, AT APPROXIMATELY 1000 PDT, THE PILOT OF CESSNA N89671 COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN ABOUT 13 MILES WSW OF NEW CUYAMA, CA. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED AND THE 2 OCCUPANTS SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE WAS REPORTED MISSING ON MAY 9, 2005. ON MAY 9, 2005, AT APPROXIMATELY 1500, THE AIRPLANE WAS LOCATED. BASED ON REPORTS FROM EMERGENCY RESPONDERS, THE WALLS OF THE RAVINE WERE LINED IN STEEP ROCK, AND A SHALLOW STREAM FLOWED DOWN IT. THE AIRPLANE WAS IN THIS STREAM; ITS LONGITUDINAL AXIS PERPENDICULAR TO THE STREAM'S FLOW. APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET ABOVE THE STREAM, THERE WAS AN IMPACT MARK ON THE STEEP ROCK THAT LINED THE RAVINE. ACCORDING TO THE SANTA BARBARA SEARCH-AND-RESCUE PERSONNEL, DURING THE PILOT'S HELICOPTER TRANSPORT FROM THE ACCIDENT SITE, HE REPORTED THAT THEY HAD FLOWN NEAR NEW CUYAMA AND DURING THE RETURN FLIGHT, EXPERIENCED ENGINE PROBLEMS. THE PILOT FORCE LANDED THE AIRPLANE IN THE ROUGH, MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWED THE ACCIDENT SITE CLEAR OF CLOUDS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER WERE TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL IN SANTA MARIA. THE AIRCRAFT WRECKAGE WAS RECOVERED FOR EXAMINATION.

## 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 LAX05LA163](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA163), May 8, 2005: Cessna 140 (N89671), New Cuyama, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to properly use carburetor heat during conditions conducive to carburetor icing, which resulted in the loss of engine power. A factor in the accident was the unsuitable landing…

## Other reports on N89671 (1)

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

- [Incident 20010714019419I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010714019419I), Jul 14, 2001: Cessna 140 (N89671), St Augustine, FL. (-23) Engine quit. Landed on beach. Suspect carb icing. Eng started 5 minutes after landing on beach. A/c inspected by mech. A/c successfully flown off beach.…

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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