Cessna 172E N39155
8 April 1990 · Santa Paula, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 8 April 1990 at about 20:15 local time, a Cessna 172E registered N39155 was involved in an accident near Santa Paula, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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 20:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Santa Paula, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.4004, -119.0709
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172E
- Registration
- N39155
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Bakersfield
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90FA281
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER PREFLIGHT PLANNING AND PREPARATION AND HIS DELAYED REMEDIAL ACTION IN EXECUTING A 180 DEGREE TURN. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED IN THE VICINITY OF THE SANTA PAULA, CA AIRPORT WHEN THE PILOT DEPARTED ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. BROKEN CLOUDS WITH THE BASES AT 4,000 FT MSL AND TOPS BETWEEN 7,000 FT AND 8,000 FT MSL EXITED OVER THE MOUNTAINOUS AREA NORTH OF THE AIRPORT. AFTER DEPARTING THE AIRPORT, THE PILOT FLEW NORTH-NORTHEAST,. THE AIRPLANE FAILED TO REACH ITS DESTINATION AND AN AIR SEARCH WAS SUBSEQUENTLY INITIATED. THE AIRPLANE WAS FOUND ON AUGUST 10, 1990. THE WRECKAGE EXAM DISCLOSED THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT WING STRUCK THE 4,100 FT LEVEL OF A 4,200 FT MOUNTAIN RIDGE. THE AIRPLANE WAS TURNING LEFT AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF AIRFRAME/ENGINE FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION PRECEDING THE ACCIDENT.
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 | - |