Cessna 152 N5169B

Summary

On 16 October 1999 at about 05:45 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N5169B, operated by Eric S. Rhoads, was involved in an accident near Ventura, 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

16 October 1999 at 05:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Ventura, California, United States

Coordinates

34.2944, -119.3356

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N5169B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Eric S. Rhoads

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Barbara → Santa Ana

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX00FA017

2 people died.

the pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC. Contributing factors were the pilot's self induced pressure to depart the airport before the weather worsened and the airport closed, and the mountain obscurement and foggy weather conditions, and the night light conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane collided with hilly coastal terrain during a night cross-country flight. The noninstrument rated private pilot received three weather briefings throughout the day prior to the accident flight. The pilot was told during the last weather briefing that the weather was supposed to be VFR along the route of flight with cloud levels ranging between 1,000 feet to 2,200 feet agl, and IFR conditions to occur after midnight. The pilot was also informed that if he waited until the following morning to depart, the weather was forecasted to be IFR and that he may have to wait for the weather to clear. The weather briefer also informed the pilot that an air show was scheduled for the following morning at the departure airport, and that if the pilot could not depart prior to 1100 the following morning, he would be stuck at the airport because it would be closed to departing and arriving traffic. An eyewitness walking on the beach reported that he saw an airplane flying low overhead at 100 feet agl. He observed the airplane make a left turn and fly inland less than a mile before he observed it flying south again. He stated that the airplane disappeared from his view in a coastal fogbank that was also obscuring steeply rising terrain further to the south. He did not hear the sound of a collision or see a fire, and assumed that the aircraft had cleared the rising terrain. The airplane wreckage was located the following morning approximately 50 feet below a ridge line on a southerly heading. The pilot had accumulated 120 total flight hours, of which 20 hours were flown at night, and 5 hours were flown in simulated instrument conditions. No anomalies were noted with the airplane and engine that would have prevented their normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.