- Date
- May 20, 1990, 08:30 local (15:30 UTC)
- Place
- Strawberry, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N71653Luscombe 8A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900520016609A
- Case key
- 26630
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's decision to continue VFR flight in a confined mountain pass area which was in instrument meteorological conditions; and the pilot's inflight loss of control while attempting a course reversal in the narrow confined canyon.
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 aircraft departed in company with two other Luscombe's in a flight of three. One pilot obtained a weather briefing for the group which advised against VFR flight due to mountain obscurement, turbulence and icing conditions. The two surviving pilots said the group decided to fly up to the sonora pass to see if the weather conditions would permit crossing the mountains. One of the pilots was an ATCT controller and a weather observer. He said that after the group arrived in the area of the pass, he saw that the narrow canyon which leads to the pass was obscured by low stratus clouds. The controller/pilot tried to get the other pilots to fly back to columbia and have breakfast while the weather cleared out of the pass, but the accident pilot radioed that he was going into the canyon to 'check it out.' The two surviving pilots said they saw the aircraft disappear into the canyon flying beneath the low clouds. Shortly thereafter the pilot transmitted 'we have to get out of here.'
Aircraft
- Registration
- N71653
- Reported as
- Luscombe 8A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3080
- Engine
- Continental A-65-8, 65 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ray C. Brant
- Departed
- O22 · Columbia, CA
- Destination
- BOI · Bosie, ID
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 562 total · 510 in this make and model · 540 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 45 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.