Cessna C-172 N5814A

Summary

On 6 June 1991 at about 05:37 local time, a Cessna C-172 registered N5814A, operated by Turner, Robert W., was involved in an accident near Lakeside, 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.

Date

6 June 1991 at 05:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Lakeside, California, United States

Nearest airport

Gilliespie (SEE)

Coordinates

32.9004, -116.8891

Aircraft

Cessna C-172

Registration

N5814A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Turner, Robert W.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bakersfield → El Cajon

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX91FA247

1 person died.

THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO REQUEST RADAR ASSISTANCE TO AVOID LOW CEILINGS IN HIGH TERRAIN AND THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE VISUAL OUTLOOK WHICH ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN AN INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH HIGH TERRAIN. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE THE WEATHER CONDITIONS SPECIFICALLY LOW CLOUDS AND THE LIGHT CONDITIONS OF THE DARK NIGHT.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A CESSNA 172 COLLIDED WITH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN DURING NIGHT VFR FLT. THE PLT WAS NON-INSTRUMENT RATED AND WAS VFR ON TOP OF A 1,500 FT CEILING ABOVE HIS DEST. THE PLT WAS IN RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WITH THE LOCAL TRACON. THE PLT DID NOT REQUEST ASSISTANCE FROM THE TRACON TO AVOID THE WX CONDITIONS. INSTEAD THE PLT ELECTED TO FIND A HOLE IN THE OVERCAST. THE TRACON ISSUED A WARNING TO THE PLT OF HIGH TERRAIN. THE PLT ELECTED TO CONTINUE FLIGHT BELOW THE MINIMUM VECTORING ALTITUDE UNDER HIS OWN NAVIGATION AND REPORTED THAT HE HAD GND CONTACT. THE TRACON THEN INFORMED THE PLT OF HIS LOCATION RELATIVE TO THE APRT AND INFORMED HIM HE WAS HEADING TOWARDS THE HIGH TERRAIN. HIS ALT READOUT WAS ABOUT 2,600 FT MSL. THE PLT THEN REQUESTED A VECTOR TO THE APRT. THE TRACON INFORMED THE PLT OF A WESTBOUND HEADING TO THE APRT. THE PLT TURNED TO THE HEADING AND THEN REVERSE COURSE AND HEADED EAST TOWARDS EVEN HIGHER TERRAIN. RADAR AND RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH THE EAST SLOPE OF A 1,868 FT RIDGE AT 1,500 LVL ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.