- Date
- January 28, 1992, 12:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Austin, NV
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N39HPCessna 170B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920128001219A
- Case key
- 27547
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 delay in reversing direction, his continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions, his failure to maintain adequate airspeed and inadvertent stall while maneuvering to reverse direction. Contributing to the accident was weather conditions that consisted of low ceilings, snow, and icing 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 certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was on an intermediate segment of a business related cross country flight. Some witnesses observed the airplane following a highway over a 7,500 foot mountain pass at an altitude of about 300 feet AGL. A snow storm with visibility estimated at about 120 feet was in progress. Overcast ceilings were estimated at about 500 feet AGL. An AIRMET for turbulence and icing conditions was in effect for the area of flight. Other witnesses observed the airplane maneuver over the highway, turn right and descend into the terrain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39HP
- Reported as
- Cessna 170B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25819
- Airframe hours
- 1,652
- Engine
- Continental C-145-2, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Howard L. Prescott
- Registered owner
- Howard L. Prescott
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 24, 1992 · 7 hours before
- Departed
- BAM · Battle Mtn, NV
- Destination
- L66 · Corona, CA
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- 51
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,800 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 7 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 21 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.