- Date
- June 29, 1988, 19:42 local (Jun 30, 1988, 02:42 UTC)
- Place
- Descanso, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N51234Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 25, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880629024149A
- Case key
- 25840
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's poor judgment and intentional decision to low fly the aircraft below the minimum safe altitude.
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
Numerous witnesses observed the low flying acft at altitudes from 50 to 300 ft AGL. The acft was described by some witnesses as 'terrain flying' as it proceeded at low altitudes over the rolling hills & roadways. The joy riding flight ended when, at 100 ft AGL, the acft collided with electrical transmission lines. The acft entered an uncontrolled descent, crashed & burned on interstate freeway 8.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51234
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274285
- Airframe hours
- 3,104
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Funbirds Flying Club, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Olan Morton & Eltn Horn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 19, 1988 · 82 hours before
- Departed
- MYF · San Diego, 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
- 23
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 164 total · 28 in this make and model · 104 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 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.