- Date
- September 19, 1989, 12:25 local (19:25 UTC)
- Place
- Ojai, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N6958LCessna 310K
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890919035919A
- Case key
- 26254
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
The pilot-in-command's intentional VFR flight into instrument meteorological weather conditions, and his failure to maintain adequate altitude to provide terrain clearance. Contributing factors were: the mountainous terrain, adverse weather conditions, and the second pilot's possible reduced vision due to his vision problem and medication.
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
Prior to departure the pilot received an abbreviated wx briefing in person from the reno fss, and was given the adverse wx conditions & current wx for his planned route of flight. He was also advised that VFR flight was not recommended. The airplane was later observed flying over a highway at low altitude; which the witnesses defined as not high enough to clear a mountain ridge. The top of the ridge line was obscured, & the airplane was in & out of the bottom of the clouds. There were also rainshowers in the area. The right seat pilot also held an ATP certificate. He was being treated for glaucoma & was taking the prescription drug isopto carpine (pilocarpine). The danger of adverse reactions or side effects of the drug increases with the use of alcohol. These effects include reduced visual acuity. The right seat pilot was with a group that reported had a few cocktails the night before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6958L
- Reported as
- Cessna 310K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 310K0058
- Airframe hours
- 3,950
- Engine
- Continental IO-470V, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Amair Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 10, 1989 · 130 hours before
- Departed
- RNO · Reno, NV
- Destination
- TOR · Torrance, 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
- 64
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 23,950 total · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
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 N6958L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.