Cessna 180J N3687C

Summary

On 24 February 1983 at about 05:00 local time, a Cessna 180J registered N3687C was involved in an accident near Descanso, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

24 February 1983 at 05:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Descanso, California, United States

Coordinates

32.7209, -117.2305

Aircraft

Cessna 180J

Registration

N3687C

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Borren Springs → El Cajon

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX83FUM04

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT WAS ON A FLT FROM FARMINGTON, NM TO EL CAJON, CA, BUT MADE A STOP AT BORREGO SPRINGS, CA WHERE A PASSENGER DEPLANED. BEFORE DEPARTING FARMINGTON, HE OBTAINEND A WX BRIEFING FOR THE TRIP, BUT ONLY FILED A FLT PLAN FOR THE 1ST LEG WHEN TOLD OF BAD WX ALONG THE 2ND LEG. AT BORREGO SPRINGS, NO AVIATION FUEL WAS AVAILABLE. THE PLT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING ENOUGH FUEL FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FLT SO HE OBTAINED 2-1/2 GAL OF SUPREME UNLEADED AUTO FUEL. ON THE NEXT LEG OF THE FLT, THE ACFT CRASHED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. A WITNESS SAID HE HEARD THE ENG SPUTTER THEN SAW THE ACFT COME OUT OF THE CLOUDS IN A 65 DEG ANGLE. HE ESTIMATED THE BOTTOM OF THE CLOUDS WERE ABOUT 400 TO 500 FT AGL. ALSO, HE DESCRIBED THE WX AS RAINY, HEAVY AT TIMES, WITH LOW CEILINGS & SOME BREAKS IN THE OVERCAST. A TEARDOWN OF THE ENG REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE ACFT WAS TOO BADLY DAMAGED TO DETERMINETHE AMOUNT OF FUEL THAT WAS IN THE TANKS PRIOR TO IMPACT. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ABOUT 3900 FT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.