- Date
- December 16, 1992, 19:31 local (Dec 17, 1992, 05:31 UTC)
- Place
- Laie, HI
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1169UCessna 172M
- Weather
- Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921216050789A
- Case key
- 27816
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 inadvertent flight into a mountainous area where he lost visual reference to illuminated ground features which resulted in his becoming disoriented. Factors which contributed to the accident were: 1) the dark sky and low cloud conditions; 2) the pilot's failure to obtain a complete weather briefing prior to take off; 3) his improper weather evaluation; 4) his inexperience flying at night; and 5) the usaf's clearing authority personnel's failure to adhere to established written procedures which barred inexperienced pilots from being dispatched with the intent of performing nighttime cross country flights.
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
During a dark nighttime flight the pilot attempted to fly the USAF aero club's airplane around the perimeter of the island. After completing about one half of the trip, the aircraft collided with the 50 degree up slope side of a mountain, about 3.5 NM west of course. The accident occurred during the pilot's first expereince flying at night as the pilot in command. The pilot had 3.0 total hours of night flying experience, and had obtained his pilot's certificate 5 days earlier. During the pilot's preflight preparations, he did not request a complete weather briefing which would have indicated the likelihood of encountering rain showers while flying over windward oahu. The USAF had a procedure which, if followed, would have barred the pilot from performing the flight. The USAF clearing authority personnel failed to adhere to established written dispatch procedures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1169U
- Reported as
- Cessna 172M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17266873
- Airframe hours
- 4,337
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-E2D, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Hickam Wheeler Aero Club
- Registered owner
- Hickam Wheeler Aero Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 10, 1992 · 38 hours before
- Departed
- HNL · Honolulu, HI
- Flight plan
- Military 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
- 25
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 75 total · 75 in this make and model · 29 as pilot in command · 42 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Night/dark
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 N1169U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.