- Date
- April 9, 1985, 18:47 local (Apr 10, 1985, 02:47 UTC)
- Place
- Fallbrook, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2907XCessna 177
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850409011639A
- Case key
- 24486
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
Although aware of existing IMC conditions and reduced lighting with the setting of the sun, the plt attempted a visual apch to his home arpt which did not have an approved apch. His remarks to mcclellen-palomar twr, regarding the use of the on-board loran receiver, and charts found in the wreckage depicting coordinates of his home arpt indicate the plt was probably using the loran to get a fix on the arpt. The location of the loran display on the instrument panel required the plt's flt-instrument scan pattern to be increased to the right of the normal pattern. The increased scan pattern probably resulted in the diversion of the plt's attention from the flt instruments, allowing the acft to descend into trees. Witnesses stated dense fog was present in the area at the time of the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2907X
- Reported as
- Cessna 177
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17700307
- Airframe hours
- 1,256
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Carl D. Luke
- Registered owner
- Carl D. Luke
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 26, 1984 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Destination
- Fallbrook, CA
- Airport
- L18 · Fallbrook Airpark
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 150 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 94 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NFG, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.