- Date
- October 21, 1984, 13:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lee Vining, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N704EQCessna 150M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841021073239A
- Case key
- 24430
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
The acft crashed into a mountain during a VFR x-country. The acft was approaching the mountain ridge on the lee side anddid not clear the top of the ridge. The plt said that when he saw the acft was not going to clear the ridge he lowered 10 degrees of flaps and started a left turn. The left wing hit the side of the ridge and the nose of the acft hit a large rock. The acft then cartwheeled and came to a stop right side up. The aviation weather handbook states in part that the downdraft on the lee side of a mountain may drive an acft into the mountainside. It recommends a climb well in advance of the mountain to an alt in excess of the terrain to be cleared.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N704EQ
- Reported as
- Cessna 150M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 14078556
- Airframe hours
- 3,241
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- General Air Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 12, 1984 · 4 hours before
- Departed
- 022 · Columbia, CA
- Destination
- 024 · Lee Vining, CA
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
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 30 total · 27 in this make and model · 30 as pilot in command · 21 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 360° at 30 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.