- Date
- October 18, 1987, 20:00 local (Oct 19, 1987, 03:00 UTC)
- Place
- Carpenteria, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N11176Cessna 150L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871018060069A
- Case key
- 25887
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 pilot encountered deteriorating weather as he approached his destination. After descending to 1,500 feet MSL, he attempted to follow a highway to the ocean but inadvertently encountered fog. The pilot attempted to turn, after spotting lights from houses several hundred feet beneath his position, but the aircraft collided with mountainous terrain that was completely obscured by fog.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N11176
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15075240
- Airframe hours
- 3,682
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Morrow, Gregory A.
- Registered owner
- Gregory A Morrow
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 1, 1987 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- SBA · Santa Barbara, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 36
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 154 total · 147 in this make and model · 95 as pilot in command · 47 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBA, 15 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.