- Date
- August 19, 1990, 15:26 local (22:26 UTC)
- Place
- Long Beach, CA
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA reports
- 19900819033841A19900819033842A
- Case key
- 26650
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 inadequate visual outlook of the pilots of the Cessna 172P and their failure to see and avoid the Piper pa- 28RT-201. Contributing to the accident was the azimuth and angle of the sun which was in a position at the time of the accident to impair the scan of the Cessna 172P pilots.
The inadequate visual outlook of the pilots of the Cessna 172P and their failure to see and avoid the Piper pa- 28RT-201. Contributing to the accident was the azimuth and angle of the sun which was in a position at the time of the accident to impair the scan of the Cessna 172P pilots.
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
A Piper pa 28RT-201 and a Cessna 172P were flying parallel westerly courses above a jetty which formed a linear ground reference over open water. The Piper was to the left of the Cessna just prior to the collision. The Piper was configured for slow flight with the flaps extended and landing gear down. The Cessna flaps were retracted and the Cessna was flying faster than the Piper. The Cessna struck the Piper's outboard right wing tip with the left wing strut severing the right wing tip and bending the remaining outboard portion of the wing spar forward. The outboard portion of the Piper's right wing was severed. The azimuth and angle of the sun was to the left and to the front of both airplanes.
A Piper PA-28RT-201 and a Cessna 172P were flying parallel westerly courses above a jetty which formed a linear ground reference over open water. The Piper was to the left of the Cessna just prior to the collision. The Piper was configured for slow flight with the flaps extended and landing gear down. The Cessna flaps were retracted and the Cessna was flying faster than the Piper. The Cessna struck the Piper's outboard right wing tip with the left wing strut severing the right wing tip and bending the remaining outboard portion of the wing spar forward. The outboard portion of the Piper's right wing was severed. The azimuth and angle of the sun was to the left and to the front of both airplanes.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N3054N
- Reported as
- Piper PA-28RT-201 (PA-28RT-20)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28-7918045
- Airframe hours
- 3,048
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C166, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Benbow Aviation
- Registered owner
- Valkenburg
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 6, 1990 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- T0A · 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.
- Registration
- N114RJ
- Reported as
- Cessna 172P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17275250
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-D2J, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- Unknown
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Ray Jean Bull
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 16, 1990 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- LGB · Long Beach, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N3054N
- Age
- 21
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 293 total · 8 in this make and model · 146 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N114RJ
- Age
- 21
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 271 total · 114 in this make and model · 128 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- LGB, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.