- Date
- January 15, 1991, 08:56 local (16:56 UTC)
- Place
- Hayward, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9721BCessna 172RG
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910115000549A
- Case key
- 26972
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 failure to maintain altitude. Contributing factors related to the pilot's improper VFR procedures and his misjudged evaluation of the weather in daylight conditions. Additional factors related to the presence of low clouds and to the restricted visibility.
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 1700 hour instrument rated pilot was familiar with the route of flight between Hayward (hwd) and san carlos (sql) having reportedly flown the route to work over 100 times. The pilot's sql destination did not have a published instrument approach. So, the pilot planned to execute an IFR approach to hwd and then initially fly under svfr toward sql. Approaching sql the pilot planned to request a svfr clearance into its control zone. While flying enroute the pilot would be over open water in uncontrolled airspace where only one mile of flight visibility would be required. After executing the instrument approach to hwd the pilot received, as planned, the requested clearance out of its control zone. After receiving a svfr clearance into sql's control zone the pilot failed to maintain altitude and he descended into the san francisco bay. At the time the pilot was in hwd's airspace, its weather was, in part: 200 foot overcast ceiling and one mile visibility in fog.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9721B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0991
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-F1A6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Gregord Mccartney&Dieter Kueck
- Registered owner
- Gregord Mccartney&Dieter Kueck
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- CCR · Concord, CA
- Destination
- SQL · San Carlos, 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,703 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HWD, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.