- Date
- October 16, 1986, 19:38 local (Oct 17, 1986, 02:38 UTC)
- Place
- Altadena, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1048FCessna 172N
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19861016049199A
- Case key
- 25704
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 rtrng to santa monica (smo) fm a x-country, the plts diverted to van nuys when the rwy at smo was closed due to a disabled acft. After the rwy was reopened, they filed an IFR flt pln to cont at 5000' & tkof at ngt. Drg dep, the AR-3 ctlr provided radar vectors (for clnc at 3000'). At 1926:39, AR-4 ctlr acknowledged/accepted an automated handoff via an arts-iii computer keyboard entry. AR-3 provided adntl vectors to the flt, the last being a 080 deg hdg (at 1929:12), but didn't tell the plts to chg to AR-4'S freq. At aprx 1933, the AR-3 & AR-4 ctlrs were relieved & bgn briefing their relieving ctlrs. Soon thereafter, the flt passed ovr the asr antenna, then was displayed on the radar scope in a coast mode. It reappeared with a data tag, that erroneously indcd another facility had ctl of the flt. The relieving ctlrs sawthe full data block on their scopes, but disregarded it, due to the erroneous ctl symbol. Subsequently, the acft hit mtns at the last assigned alt of 3000'. The CFI had just moved fm FL to CA & was on his 2nd day of employment in CA.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1048F
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17272938
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- American Flyers,Inc.
- Registered owner
- Charles C. Plank
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 18, 1986
- Departed
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
- Destination
- SMO · Santa Monica, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 22
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 543 total · 264 in this make and model · 497 as pilot in command · 89 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N1048F · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.