Cessna P210N N3894P

Summary

On 31 March 1997 at about 08:00 local time, a Cessna P210N registered N3894P was involved in an accident near Corona, 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.

Date

31 March 1997 at 08:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Corona, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna P210N

Registration

N3894P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long Beach → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Not Reported

NTSB number

LAX97FA142

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate terrain clearance during a nighttime flight at low altitude through a mountainous area. Factors in the accident were the conditions of low clouds and dark light conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was operating under visual flight rules when the airplane collided with mountainous terrain during dark night conditions. The accident site is in a pass through which a major interstate highway traverses. The highway was on the left, or pilot's side of the airplane, and the high intervening terrain was on the right side of the airplane. The airplane struck the sloping terrain with its right wing and right side of the fuselage first. Weather observation stations surrounding the accident site were reporting cloud layers at and above the accident site elevation. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were noted during the wreckage examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.