Cessna 150E N6236T

Summary

On 8 November 2002 at about 12:30 local time, a Cessna 150E registered N6236T was involved in an accident near Anaheim Hills, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 November 2002 at 12:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Anaheim Hills, California, United States

Coordinates

31.8833, -117.6833

Aircraft

Cessna 150E

Registration

N6236T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Temecula → Fullerton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX03FA025

1 person died.

the pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from power lines. A contributing factor was the pilot's impairment by medication.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was traversing a pass through the coastal hills during a dark night flight under an overcast when it collided with power lines crossing a freeway. The transmission lines were approximately 150 feet above ground level (agl), at an estimated ground elevation of 450 feet above mean sea level (msl). A witness in a car on the freeway that was generally perpendicular to the power lines observed an aircraft pass over him on the left side of the freeway. He then saw several flashes of light. He noted that it was a very dark night and hazy. He saw a ceiling that was definitely above the aircraft, but could not tell if the ceiling was above the surrounding mountaintops. The aircraft was definitely below the level of the mountaintops. There was no record of the pilot receiving a weather brief from a flight service station or Direct User Access System (DUATS). The pilot did not file a flight plan. Based on weather reports from the witness, the nearest reporting stations, and the destination airport, instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site with cloud bases around 200 to 300 feet agl and visibilities less than 2 miles in light rain and mist. The toxicology report noted the finding of multiple over-the-counter substances, including diphenhydramine, an over-the-counter antihistamine with sedative and impairing effects. The levels reported for the substances were consistent with recent use. The FAA does not regulate the use of any specific prescription or over-the-counter medications by pilots, though the FAR's do state that (Sec. 91.17): "No person may act or attempt to act as a crewmember of a civil aircraft while using any drug that affects the person's faculties in any way contrary to safety."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.