- Date
- June 5, 1991, 22:37 local (Jun 6, 1991, 05:37 UTC)
- Place
- Lakeside, CA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5814ACessna C-172
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910605020139A
- Case key
- 27005
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 request radar assistance to avoid low ceilings in high terrain and the pilot's inadequate visual outlook which ultimately resulted in an inflight collision with high terrain. Contributing to the accident were the weather conditions specifically low clouds and the light conditions of the dark night.
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 Cessna 172 collided with mountainous terrain during night VFR flt. The plt was non-instrument rated and was VFR on top of a 1,500 ft ceiling above his dest. The plt was in radio and radar contact with the local TRACON. The plt did not request assistance from the TRACON to avoid the wx conditions. Instead the plt elected to find a hole in the overcast. The TRACON issued a warning to the plt of high terrain. The plt elected to continue flight below the minimum vectoring altitude under his own navigation and reported that he had gnd contact. The TRACON then informed the plt of his location relative to the aprt and informed him he was heading towards the high terrain. His alt readout was about 2,600 ft MSL. The plt then requested a vector to the aprt. The TRACON informed the plt of a westbound heading to the aprt. The plt turned to the heading and then reverse course and headed east towards even higher terrain. Radar and radio contact was lost. The airplane collided with the east slope of a 1,868 ft ridge at 1,500 lvl on a southerly heading.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5814A
- Reported as
- Cessna C-172
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28414
- Engine
- Continental O-300 B, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Turner, Robert W.
- Registered owner
- Turner, Robert W.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 13, 1991 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- BFL · Bakersfield, CA
- Destination
- SEE · El Cajon, CA
- Airport
- SEE · Gilliespie
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 290 total · 274 in this make and model · 257 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 310° at 1 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NKX, 17 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.