- Date
- February 7, 1992, 15:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- N. Palm Springs, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N22357Cessna 150H
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 16, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920207002309A
- Case key
- 27404
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 airspeed during low altitude maneuvers as a result of his physical impairment due to alcohol and drugs. Factors which contributed to the accident were: the pilot's poor judgement in buzzing his work locale, and his failure to maintain adequate altitude.
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 student pilot buzzed the locale where he worked, and while maneuvering between 100 and 500 ft AGL made a series of 45-60 deg bank turns. A pilot witness reported this activity lasted for 5 to 10 minutes until the airplane abruptly pitched up, stalled, and descended in a near vertical nose down attitude until impacting the desert terrain. The pilot's blood alcohol level was 120 mg/dl. In addition, methamphetamine and amphetamine were detected in the pilot's blood sample.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N22357
- Reported as
- Cessna 150H
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15068234
- Airframe hours
- 3,886
- Engine
- Continental O-200A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Daniel & Calvin Nielson
- Registered owner
- Daniel & Calvin Nielson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 23, 1991 · 30 hours before
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 125 total · 125 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PSP, 7 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.