On September 30, 1989, a Cessna 152 (registration N6422M) operated by West Coast Air Center was involved in an aviation accident near Lancaster, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE PILOT'S DECISION TO ENTER INTO IMC WHILE FLYING UNDER VFR. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ACCIDENT WERE: LOW CEILINGS, POOR PLANNING AND DECISIONS, FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT BRIEFING AND NOT PERFORMING A WEATHER EVALUATION. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A pilot and passenger on a maintenance test flight for a VOR receiver check failed to return. The wreckage was found 18 hours later, impacted in a mountain 18 miles northwest of the departure airport. Cloud-obscured mountain tops were noted.
Flight and Accident
A pilot and a passenger departed on a maintenance test flight to conduct a VOR receiver check. The designated checkpoint for the procedure was over the departure airport. The flight did not return as scheduled and was reported missing six hours after takeoff. Search efforts located the wreckage eighteen hours later.
Wreckage Location
The aircraft was found impacted into the side of a mountain approximately 18 miles northwest of the departure airport. The terrain in the area included mountainous features rising above the surrounding landscape.
Weather Conditions
Weather reports for the time frame of the accident indicated that the tops of the mountains in the region were obscured by clouds. Visibility conditions in the mountainous terrain were not specified beyond the cloud cover at higher elevations.
What happened in the 30 Sept 1989 Cessna 152 accident near Lancaster, CA?
A pilot and passenger on a maintenance test flight for a VOR receiver check failed to return. The wreckage was found 18 hours later, impacted in a mountain 18 miles northwest of the departure airport. Cloud-obscured mountain tops were noted.
What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?
The accident on 30 Sept 1989 involved a Cessna 152, registration N6422M, operated by West Coast Air Center, at Lancaster, CA.
What was the probable cause of the accident?
THE PILOT'S DECISION TO ENTER INTO IMC WHILE FLYING UNDER VFR. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ACCIDENT WERE: LOW CEILINGS, POOR PLANNING AND DECISIONS, FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT BRIEFING AND NOT PERFORMING A WEATHER EVALUATION.
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