- Date
- October 19, 1988, 06:14 local (13:14 UTC)
- Place
- Union City, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N52222Cessna 172P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881019046589A
- Case key
- 26183
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
Loss of control of the aircraft by the pilot when he inadvertently entered instrument meteorological conditions. Factors contributing to the accident were, dark night light conditions and foggy weather conditions, inadvertent flight into IMC under visual flight rules, failure to perform a weather evaulation after receiving preflight weather briefing, spatial disorientation and lack of total instrument experience.
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
After receiving a preflight weather briefing that reported the surface temperature as 55 degrees, dew point as 54 degrees fahrenheit and a calm wind condition, the non-instrument rated pilot and his passenger tookoff for a local night flight near the bay. The sun rise and moon set tables depict the sun at a -7.1 degree altitude and the moon at a -74.5 degree altitude below the horizon at the time of the accident. Ground witnesses observed the aircraft pass over a well lit structure then execute a diving right turn into the ground. Fog was reported in the vicinity by the witnesses. Impact forces and post-crash fire destroyed the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52222
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17274446
- Airframe hours
- 5,004
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aviation Training Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 2, 1988 · 101 hours before
- Departed
- HWD · Hayward, 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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 155 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- OAK, 11 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.