- Date
- April 8, 1990, 13:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Paula, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N39155Cessna 172E
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 14, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 26649
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 improper preflight planning and preparation and his delayed remedial action in executing a 180 degree turn. Contributing to this accident was the pilot's inadvertent encounter with weather conditions.
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
Visual meteorological conditions prevailed in the vicinity of the Santa Paula, CA airport when the pilot departed on the accident flight. Broken clouds with the bases at 4,000 ft MSL and tops between 7,000 ft and 8,000 ft MSL exited over the mountainous area north of the airport. After departing the airport, the pilot flew north-northeast,. The airplane failed to reach its destination and an air search was subsequently initiated. The airplane was found on August 10, 1990. The wreckage exam disclosed the airplane's left wing struck the 4,100 ft level of a 4,200 ft mountain ridge. The airplane was turning left at the time of the accident. There was no evidence of airframe/engine failure or malfunction preceding the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39155
- Reported as
- Cessna 172E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17251115
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Henry & Jacquelyn A. Thomas
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- BFL · Bakersfield, CA
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 91 total · 91 in this make and model · 65 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft broken