Cessna 152 N5343M

Summary

On 7 June 1998 at about 21:50 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N5343M was involved in an accident near Descanso, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 June 1998 at 21:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Descanso, California, United States

Coordinates

32.8996, -116.6205

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N5343M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Diego → Imperial

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

Unk

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX98LA187

2 people were seriously injured.

the certified flight instructor's disregard of the weather briefings and forecasted en route weather conditions, and, his failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance in mountainous terrain. Contributing to the accident were instrument meteorological conditions and mountainous terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The purpose of the flight was to conduct the cross-country portion of the student's flight training to obtain a private pilot certificate. A coastal mountain range bisected the course between the takeoff airport, which was under the influence of cloud layers, and the destination airport, which was in clear weather conditions. Both the certified flight instructor (CFI) and student received three separate weather briefings stating that visual flight rules flight was not recommended along the intended route of flight due to mountain obscuration and moderate turbulence. As the flight proceeded into mountainous terrain, the flight encountered clouds that were merging with higher terrain and the CFI elected to turn around. The CFI said that half way through the 180-degree turn, they were struck by a strong downdraft that pushed the aircraft into the ground. A witness to the accident stated that he saw the airplane at 150 feet above ground level as it came out of the clouds executing a left turn, and then saw it abruptly descend and impact trees and terrain. The witness also said that there were strong gusty wind conditions present at the accident site. No discrepancies were found during an examination of the engine or airframe. A meteorological study was conducted that substantiated the National Weather Service forecast in effect at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.