# NTSB LAX04CA130: Cessna 172S, N262TA, Riverside, CA, February 15, 2004 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: February 14, 2004, 19:00 local (Feb 15, 2004, 03:00 UTC) - Place: Riverside, CA - Coordinates: 33.951667, -117.444999 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.9517&lon=-117.4450&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 28, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 58779 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX04CA130 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/58779/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04CA130 ## Probable cause the pilot's inadequate visual lookout, which resulted in his failure to maintain proper alignment with the taxiway. Factors in the accident were the dusk lighting conditions and pilot not understanding the ground control taxi clearance. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, taxi - from landing - light condition - dusk (contributing factor) - atc clearance - not understood, pilot in command (contributing factor) - became lost/disoriented - inadvertent, pilot in command (contributing factor) - visual lookout - inadequate, pilot in command (cause) - proper alignment - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - terrain condition - drop-off/descending embankment - terrain condition - other ## Analysis The airplane departed the taxiway and collided with terrain while taxiing from landing. After taxiing off the runway, the controller cleared the pilot to taxi to the ramp area. He was unfamiliar with the airport and requested further instructions. In an effort to comply with what he thought the controller was telling him to do, he departed the taxiway. He continued down a grassy area and collided with a median. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. ## Factual narrative On February 14, 2004, about 1900 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172S, N262TA, departed the taxiway while taxing from landing and collided with terrain at Riverside Municipal Airport (RAL), Riverside, California. The airplane was registered to Irvin Enterprises, and operated by The Flight School of Palm Springs, under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The certified flight instructor, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal local flight departed Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), Palm Springs, California, about 1800, with a planned destination of RAL. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. In a written statement, the pilot reported that he had landed on runway 27 and was attempting to taxi to the ramp area. After taxiing off the runway, the controller cleared him to taxi to the ramp. He was unfamiliar with the airport and requested further instructions. In an effort to comply with what he thought the controller was telling him to do, he departed the taxiway. He continued down a grassy area and collided with a median. The damage to the airplane included fuselage skin buckling, and the nose landing gear separated from the airframe. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N262TA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N262TA-2023-04-01), registration cancelled 2023-04-01, S/N 172S9262, built 2002 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 172S - Registry model: [Cessna 172S](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-172s) (registry code 2072439) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming IO-360-L2A](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-l2a) (registry code 41597, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 172S9262 - Engines: Lycoming IO-360-L2A reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Andy Dutz, doing business as The Flight School of Palm Springs - Registered owner: Irvin Enterprises LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal - Departed: PSP, Palm Springs, CA - Destination: RAL, Riverside, CA - Airport: RAL, Riverside Municipal Airport, runway 27 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 22; flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3; flight hours: 650 total, 650 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dusk ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20040214005659A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040214005659A), Feb 14, 2004: Cessna 172S, Riverside, CA, Substantial damage. (-23) On February 14, 2004, about 1900 pacific standard time, a Cessna 172S, N262TA, departed the taxiway while taxiing from landing and collided with terrain… ## Other investigations on N262TA (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 ERA23FA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA001), Oct 2, 2022: Cessna 172S (N262TA), Hermantown, MN, substantial damage, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation during initial climb in dark night and low instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a descent into terrain.… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.