- Date
- May 5, 1991, 21:00 local (May 6, 1991, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lee Vining, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N2137GCessna 182A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report May 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910505014509A
- Case key
- 26997
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 failure of the pilot to maintain aircraft control due to spatial disorientation during a night approach.
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 certificated private pilot was reported overdue while returning from a short cross country flight to an airport located in an area of little ground illumination during the hours of darkness. The surrounding terrain consisted of mountains to the right and a lake to the left of the direction of flight. The airplane over-flew the rural airport on a moonless night and made a left turn to enter the downwind portion of a VFR approach. The terrain and light conditions produced dark and featureless visual conditions. The airplane was located the next day and had struck terrain 1/2 mile from the destination airport in a high speed descending left turn.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2137G
- Reported as
- Cessna 182A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 51437
- Airframe hours
- 4,098
- Engine
- Continental O-470-L, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Ronald F. Bonini
- Registered owner
- Ronald F. Bonini
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 12, 1987 · 102 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · Coleville, CA
- Airport
- 024 · Lee Vining
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 480 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.