- Date
- September 5, 1987, 16:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lee Vining, CA
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6122GCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870905050209A
- Case key
- 25681
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
While flying over mountainous terrain. The pilot inadvertently followed the wrong road & went into a box canyon area. He stated the visibility was about 5 miles & he did not see the upcoming rising elevation. Eventually, he got into a situation were the acft could not outclimb the rising terrain & there was insufficient space to reverse course. Sub- sequently, the acft hit a tree & crashed at an elevation of about 10,500'. The plt indcd the eng was running normally before the acdnt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6122G
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 73568
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- California Airways, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Charles Coughlin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- O24 · Lee Vining, CA
- Destination
- RNO · Reno, NV
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 319 total · 229 in this make and model · 260 as pilot in command · 5 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.