- Date
- April 1, 1992, 21:54 local (Apr 2, 1992, 05:54 UTC)
- Place
- Arcata, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N1362MCessna 182P
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 16, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920401062649A
- Case key
- 27416
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 descent below decision height, and his alcoholic impairment of efficiency and judgement. Factors contributing to the accident were: the adverse weather conditions and the dark night light conditions.
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 pilot had earlier, at 2111, executed a missed approach following an ILS approach to the arcada airport. The wx at that time was sky partly obscured, 100 broken, 1-1/2 mi in fog. He also canceled IFR. At 2137 he called arcada radio and advised they had ' a couple of dead vor's, ' and would like a df steer to arcada airport. The pilot had earlier acknowledged that he was aware that the arcada VOR was out of service. He was provided df service to a point 3 mi sw of the airport, and cleared for the ILS rwy 32 approach. No further transmissions were received. The airplane had collided with a stand of redwood trees 4,500 ft NE of the airport on an aprx heading of 097 deg. Witnesses stated that the airplane passed over their homes at a very low altitude. One witness stated that the visibility was about 1/8 mi in fog. The pilot's blood alcohol level as tested at the time of his hospital admission was 0.14 gm%.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1362M
- Reported as
- Cessna 182P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18264298
- Airframe hours
- 5,733
- Engine
- Continental O-470-S, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Northern Aviation
- Registered owner
- Northern Aviation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 12, 1992 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- FOT · Fortuna, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ACV · Arcata-Eureka, runway 32, 5,998 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 24
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 953 total · 899 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ACV, 1 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.