- Date
- March 10, 1990, 14:50 local (22:50 UTC)
- Place
- Pine Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N152EZCessna 150J
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900310003589A
- Case key
- 26619
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 decision of the pilot to continue VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions, spatial disorientation and inadvertent stall/spin. Factors were: obscuration, low ceiling, and over-confidence in ability.
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
No record was found to substantiate that the student had ever been given any dual instruction. His certificate was not endorsed for solo or solo cross country privileges. No evidence was found that the pilot obtained any preflight weather information for his route of flight. A range of coastal mountains separates the departure and destination airports, and a major interstate highway traverses the range in a system of valleys. The accident site was located about one mile south of the highway near the crest of a mountain at an elevation of 4,200 ft MSL. Examination of the site revealed the aircraft impacted the ground in a steep nose down attitude while rotating to the right. Search and rescue helicopter pilots returning from another aircraft accident site flew near the location about one hour after the accident. The pilots reported that the tops of the mountains were obscured in clouds and snow showers.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N152EZ
- Reported as
- Cessna 150J
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15070726
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Deloy R. E. Koops
- Departed
- YUM · Yuma, AZ
- Destination
- SEE · El Cajon, 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
- 61
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 200 total · 200 in this make and model · 200 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.