Cessna 172RG N5257V
17 November 1990 · San Clemente, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 17 November 1990 at about 11:20 local time, a Cessna 172RG registered N5257V was involved in an accident near San Clemente, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 11:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Clemente, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 32.6996, -117.1891
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172RG
- Registration
- N5257V
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Torrance → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX91LA032
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOTS SELECTION OF IMPROPER CRUISE ALTITUDE WHILE OPERATING UNDER A LOW OVERCAST ON A DARK NIGHT. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS FATIGUE AND LACK OF SLEEP.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT WAS FISH SPOTTING FOR A BOAT AT SEA. THE PILOT HAD BEEN AIRBORNE FOR OVER 10 HOURS. THE LAST CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT OCCURRED AT ABOUT 0300 WHEN THE PILOT GAVE A POSITION REPORT TO THE BOAT AND STATED HE WAS RETURNING TO BASE. THE BOAT CAPTAIN EXPECTED TO HEAR FROM THE PILOT ONE MORE TIME AT ABOUT 0330. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN, AND THE PLANE DID NOT ARRIVE AT THE BASE BY FUEL EXHAUSTION TIME AT 0900. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REPORTED MISSING AND A SEARCH WAS STARTED. BY 1100 HOURS THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED BY ANOTHER FISH SPOTTER ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF AN ISLAND AT ABOUT 1200 FEET MSL, ON AN APPROXIMATE HEADING TOWARDS HOME BASE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 172 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Dec 1990 | Cessna 172G | Jacksonville, Florida, United States | Weeks, Milton D. | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Mar 1990 | Cessna 172I | Isabel, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1990 | Cessna 172G | Rio Hondo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 1990 | Cessna 172N | New Richmond, Wisconsin, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 21 Mar 1990 | Cessna 172M | Three Forks, Montana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 1990 | Cessna 172N | Stokesdale, North Carolina, United States | Martely, James | No injuries | - |
All 12,209 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |