- Date
- August 15, 1985, 12:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Paula, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N79504Cessna 172K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850815038819A
- Case key
- 24800
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
On a local flt to view camping and hiking facilities in mountainous terrain, the acft entered a box canyon with a moderately rising floor and steep sides reported by the sheriff's department at about one-quarter of a mile wide. Duringan attempted course reversal. The acft stalled and impacted nose down in tall trees on the floor of the canyon. Sheriff dept search and rescue personnel reported that only the trees immediately around the acft were disturbed. Although none of the four occupants reported a clear memory of the accident sequence, one passenger did say that the 'engine didn't sound right' just before the accident. Functional testing of the acft revealed no malfunctions or failures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N79504
- Reported as
- Cessna 172K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17258136
- Airframe hours
- 1,827
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Venco Pacific Aviation
- Registered owner
- Steven C. Vizzo
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · May 1, 1985 · 222 hours before
- Departed
- OXR · Oxnard, 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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 667 total · 54 in this make and model · 625 as pilot in command · 3 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OXR, 18 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.