- Date
- February 22, 1991, 19:12 local (Feb 23, 1991, 03:12 UTC)
- Place
- Carlsbad, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N18526Cessna 150L
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910222003309A
- Case key
- 26982
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 cfi/pic's inadequate in-flight planning/decision and the continued VFR flight into an area of IMC conditions. The pilot's impairment due to high levels of antihistamine and the low ceiling were factors in the accident.
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 flight instructor and student pilot were planning to conduct touch and go landings at a nearby airport, about 15 miles east of the departure airport. They did one takeoff and landing at the departure airport, but were denied any further operations because the weather conditions were below VFR minimums. The CFI requested and received a special VFR clearance and departed the control zone to the east. About 2 minutes after reporting clear of the control zone, the airplane collided with a hill 8 miles southeast of the departure airport about 925 feet MSL in a wings and nose level attitude. A helicopter pilot operating in the area reported ceilings of about 800 to 850 feet MSL. Toxicological analysis of the urine of the CFI revealed a high level of antihistamine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N18526
- Reported as
- Cessna 150L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15073915
- Airframe hours
- 3,208
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Aviation Services Inc.
- Registered owner
- Air Mods Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 24, 1991 · 64 hours before
- Destination
- L39 · Ramona, 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
- 53
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,247 total · 2,112 as pilot in command · 98 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CRQ, 8 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.