Cessna 172N N739WE

Summary

On 1 April 2001 at about 08:23 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N739WE, operated by Security Aviation, was involved in an accident near Rialto, 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

1 April 2001 at 08:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Rialto, California, United States

Nearest airport

Rialto Municipal (L67)

Coordinates

34.1007, -117.3790

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N739WE

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Security Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rialto → Hawthorne

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX01FA134

2 people died.

The pilot's intentional visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper weather evaluation and lack of total experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

A flight school Cessna 172N was destroyed during a departure collision with communication wires and terrain at Rialto, California, about 0023 hours. The accident flight was returning to Hawthorne, California. The pilot had obtained a standard weather briefing at 2319, for the return flight. The pilot was advised of airmets for IFR ceiling and visibilities for his route of flight. The airplane had been the subject of an Federal Aviation Administration ALNOT, issued at 2210, for failure to cancel an instrument flight plan with Southern California Tracon from Hawthorne to Rialto, an uncontrolled airport. The pilot had obtained an FAA preflight weather briefing at 1551, for the flight to Rialto. According to the instrument flight plan information, the estimated time of arrival at Rialto had been 1845. Subsequently, the airplane was located at the Rialto airport parking ramp by county sheriff personnel. The ALNOT was canceled at 2240. The operator stated that the pilot and passenger had flown to Rialto to visit with friends and were to return to Hawthorne. The pilot was a flight instructor for the operator and was rated in airplane single engine land and instrument. They reported that he had accrued 650 total flight hours. Radar data was obtained from Southern California Tracon and a plot was generated by a private vendor for Cessna Aircraft Company. It shows the airplane circling back over the airport and heading northwest. The highest altitude before coverage is lost is 1,700 feet mean sea level.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.