Cessna 172N N2810E

Summary

On 4 July 1990 at about 00:10 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N2810E, operated by B&E Aircraft, was involved in an accident near Avalon, California, United States. 3 people were on board and one died, 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 1990 at 00:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Avalon, California, United States

Coordinates

33.3795, -118.4502

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N2810E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

B&E Aircraft

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX90FA244

1 person died.

THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT PLANNING, DECISION, AND HIS INTENTIONAL LOW FLYING NEAR MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS RELATED TO THE PILOT'S NOT MAINTAINING/FOLLOWING PROPER VFR PROCEDURES, THE RELATED DISTRACTION OF THE OPEN CABIN DOOR, AND THE PILOT'S DIVERTED ATTENTION TO GROUND ACTIVITIES.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

IT WAS THE PILOT'S DAUGHTER'S 12TH BIRTHDAY. THE DAUGHTER WAS ATTENDING A SUMMER CAMP ON CATALINA ISLAND. THE PILOT PLANNED TO OVERFLY THE CAMP AND SURPRISE HIS DAUGHTER BY TOSSING HER A BIRTHDAY PRESENT FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT'S SON AND A WORK ASSOCIATE WERE INVITED ALONG FOR THE AIRPLANE RIDE. WITNESSES AT THE CAMP OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE FLY OVERHEAD BETWEEN 100 AND 200 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, AND THE PRESENT WAS TOSSED OUT OF THE AIRPLANE. A BOX-LIKE CANYON WITH RAPIDLY RISING TERRAIN WAS LOCATED ADJACENT TO THE CAMP. THE PILOT FLEW INTO THE CANYON AND THEN MANEUVERED THE AIRPLANE TO EXIT. WHILE MANEUVERING THE AIRPLANE ENTERED A STEEP LEFT BANK AND COLLIDED WITH THE SIDE OF THE CANYON.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.