- Date
- February 20, 1993, 15:37 local (23:37 UTC)
- Place
- Warner Springs, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N5514NCessna 182R
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930220002919A
- Case key
- 27931
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 pilots decision to attempt flight into known adverse weather 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
Prior to departure, the pilot received two weather briefings which contained an advisory of a current AIRMET and SIGMET. The SIGMET forecast occasionally severe turbulence below 15,000 feet, with low level wind shear potential due to a strong low level westerly air flow. The AIRMET advised that mountain obscurement and moderate turbulence were possible throughout the area below 15,000 feet. In addition, a pilot report was passed along to the pilot from a Boeing 737 which had encountered moderate turbulence in the vicinity of the accident site. The pilot filed an IFR flight plan and departed along a route over mountainous terrain at an assigned altitude of 8,000 feet. The flight encountered a strong down draft, which the pilot said he could not counter despite applying full power and maintaining best angle of climb airspeed. According to the pilot, the down draft at times showed a descent rate of 1,500 feet per minute on the VSI. The flight entered the clouds at 6,000 feet, and, shortly thereafter, collided with trees and mountainous terrain at about the 5,500 foot level.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5514N
- Reported as
- Cessna 182R
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18267765
- Airframe hours
- 2,656
- Engine
- Continental O-470-U, 230 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Steven F. Gossard
- Registered owner
- Steven F. Gossard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 26, 1992 · 70 hours before
- Departed
- CXL · Calexico, CA
- Destination
- BUR · Burbank, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 354 total · 308 in this make and model · 254 as pilot in command · 44 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 45 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.