- Date
- November 23, 1984, 12:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Isabella, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9589VCessna 172M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19841123062999A
- Case key
- 24434
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
Acft departed arpt in mountain valley (elev 2,614) generally direct toward a saddle pass (elev 6,500) about 1 mi nw & on the lee side of the valley. Tops of the mountains around the valley average about 7,000 ft MSL. Flt encountered updrafts during climb until reaching 6,800 ft MSL near the pass when it experienced a strong downdraft/windshear. Plt stated that acft would not respond to even full power application & descent could not be arrested prior to colliding with trees. No wx briefing was obtained prior to flt. Strong winds aloft at 6 & 9 thousand ft were forecast, along with downdrafts, windshears & moderate turbulence in mountain areas.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9589V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17264391
- Airframe hours
- 4,525
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Donald Blankenship,Paul Aubin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 1, 1984 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- L05 · Kernville, CA
- Destination
- PTV · Porterville, CA
- Airport
- L05 · Kern Valley
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
- 64
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 276 total · 219 in this make and model · 193 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BFL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.