- Date
- November 19, 1992, 18:05 local (Nov 20, 1992, 02:05 UTC)
- Place
- Tehachapi, CA
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N737WZCessna 172N
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921119047549A
- Case key
- 27812
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 decision to cruise at an altitude inadequate to ensure terrain clearance. Factors which contributed to the accident were: the pilot's failure to obtain a preflight weather briefing, the dark night, and likely instrument meteorological 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 airplane impacted into a 7,800-FT mountain at the 6,400-FT level, aprx 1 mi north of a planned route. The pilot had flown the course over 100 times during the previous 6 months. Witnesses reported that instrument meteorological conditions prevailed over the mountainous flight route. The pilot had on previous occasions given dual instrument flight instruction to passengers during air taxi cargo flights in IMC. Evidence shows that both occupants survived the crash; the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsies reported that the occupants might have survived if they had been promptly rescued. An ELT signal was first heard at 1815. At 1900 the FAA rcvd a telephone call from a concerned relative of the pilot. At 1956 a navy pilot reported that he had picked up a mayday call. The rescue coordination center at scott afb opened the incident case for the accident airplane following receipt of notification from the FAA at 2001. The wreckage was found the following day at 1735.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N737WZ
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269743
- Airframe hours
- 5,956
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Desmond E. Mc Carthy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 16, 1992 · 90 hours before
- Departed
- WJF · Lancaster, CA
- Destination
- BFL · Bakersfield, 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
- 69
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 10,300 total · 103 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 23 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WJF, 25 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.