- Date
- March 21, 1983, 07:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Near Pala, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N2462DCessna 170B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830321008489A
- Case key
- 23438
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
According to a friend of the plt, he (the plt) had watched wx infor on tv, on 3/20/83. To the friend's knowledge, the plt had never telephoned the FAA fss for a wx briefing or to file a flt plan. After the friend took the plt & his wife (who was also a plt) to the arpt, he observed the acft depart to the east where the wx looked very dark. Aprx 30 T0 35 min later, witnesses heard the acft circle at low altitude in the vicinity of the palomar observatory. They then heard a loud noise when the acft hit a 110 ft tree, aprx 80 ft AGL. None of the witnesses could see the acft. Reportedly, the ceiling & visibility were at or Near zero-zero, wind from 360 deg at 5 KTS, temperature 30 deg, with heavy snow & fog that continued thru-out the duty. Neither of the plts were instrument rated.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2462D
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20614
- Airframe hours
- 4,122
- Engine
- Continental O-300, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Thomas Loren Brown
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 3, 1982 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- OCN · Oceanside
- Destination
- P34 · Window Rock, AZ
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 765 total · 765 in this make and model · 26 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Temperature
- 30 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.