- Date
- February 11, 1986, 19:42 local (Feb 12, 1986, 03:42 UTC)
- Place
- Ontario, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N55386Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 25, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860211019719A
- Case key
- 25073
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 owner/plt (PIC) was on a flt for night & instrument currency requirements. He was flying the acft from the left front seat while a commercial plt (cp) was occupying the rgt front seat. Drg an ILS rwy 26L final apch at Ontario, CA, the PIC & cp discussed a constant 'on glide slope' indication & elected to make a localizer only apch. The cp mistakenlyselected an incorrect apch plate & advised the PIC that the min dscnt alt (mda) was 1060'. The actual mda for the apch was 1240'. While they were discussing the alt, the acft dscndd & struck elec transmission lines at an elev of 992'. The acft became entangled in the lines & remained suspended for 4 hrs before the plts were rescued.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N55386
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275172
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dean W. Plath
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 14, 1985
- Departed
- FUL · Fullerton, CA
- Destination
- ONT
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ONT · Ontario Intl, runway 26L, 10,200 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 68
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,232 total · 248 in this make and model · 1,167 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 310° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ONT, 2 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.