- Date
- August 3, 1991, 17:45 local (Aug 4, 1991, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Elsinore, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2457LCessna 172N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910803031399A
- Case key
- 27316
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 poor judgement for unwarranted low flying and poor visual lookout.
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
While flying south over the Colorado river near needles, CA at about 100 ft AGL while enroute to lake havasu city, AZ, the pilot failed to see the east/west traversing wires and the airplane collided with them. The nose and left main landing gears separated, but the pilot was still able to maintain control of the acft. The pilot elected to divert to skylark arpt, Lake Elsinore, CA, his home base. Upon landing on the dirt runway the airplane skidded to the left causing damage to the left wing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2457L
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17255657
- Airframe hours
- 5,621
- Engine
- Continental O-300-D, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Piccirilli, Richard
- Registered owner
- Piccirilli, Richard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 1, 1991 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- P06 · Bullhead City, AZ
- Destination
- LHU · Lake Havasu Cit, AZ
- Airport
- L49 · Skylark
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 243 total · 201 in this make and model · 171 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2457L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.