Cessna 152 N761GZ
20 June 1994 · Half Moon Bay, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 20 June 1994 at about 06:14 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N761GZ, operated by West Valley Flying Club, was involved in an accident near Half Moon Bay, 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 06:14
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Half Moon Bay, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Half Moon Bay (HAF)
- Coordinates
- 37.4400, -122.4109
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152
- Registration
- N761GZ
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- West Valley Flying Club
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Palo Alto
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- LAX94LA261
People
2 people died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE PILOT AND PASSENGER DEPARTED A COASTAL AIRPORT AS THE RETURN PORTION OF A NIGHT CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. THE DEPARTURE ROUTE PLACED THE AIRPLANE OVER AN OCEAN BAY. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED AS AN 800 TO 1,000 FOOT OVERCAST. WITNESSES HEARD THE AIRCRAFT'S ENGINE AND THEN OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE DESCENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE OVERCAST IN A SPIN. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE WATER IN A NEAR-VERTICAL NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. A SEARCH FOR THE AIRCRAFT ONLY LOCATED FLOATING DEBRIS. SEVERAL SUBSEQUENT SEARCHES HAVE NOT LOCATED THE AIRCRAFT. THE OCCUPANTS INITIALLY WERE NOT RECOVERED. THE PILOT'S BODY WAS RECOVERED 1 MONTH AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE PASSENGER HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 152 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Mar 1994 | Cessna 152 | Lebanon, Tennessee, United States | Smyrna Flight Academy | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1994 | Cessna 152 | Osprey, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1994 | Cessna 152 | Petaluma, California, United States | Dick Hodge | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 1994 | Cessna 152 | Fallbrook, California, United States | Four Winds Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 1994 | Cessna 152 | Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States | Flight Training Intl. | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Sep 1994 | Cessna 152-II | Enfield, New York, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
All 3,030 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Sep 1994 | Piper PA-28R-201 | Fort Bragg, California, United States | Sundance Flying Club | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 May 1994 | Schweizer G-164B | Yuba City, California, United States | Sutter Butte Dusters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1994 | Cessna T210L | Kettleman City, California, United States | Willie Alves Rodrigues | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 1994 | Maule M-5-235C | Columbia, California, United States | White, James L. | No injuries | - |
| 19 May 1994 | Cessna 150L | Rio Linda, California, United States | Hinckley, Thomas, F. | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 1994 | Robinson R-22 | Chico, California, United States | Sierra Aviation | No injuries | - |