History of Flight
On June 22, 2008, about 1710 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172S, registration N2436F, impacted the ocean approximately 2.5 miles west of Oceanside, California. The airplane was operated by San Diego Flight Training International, Inc., under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal rental flight. The pilot and one passenger are presumed to have been killed; another passenger sustained serious injuries and was rescued by nearby boaters. The airplane has not been located and is presumed destroyed. The flight departed Long Beach Airport (Daugherty Field) with a planned destination of Montgomery Field, San Diego. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) conducted a search for the missing individuals and the airplane, responding to coordinates provided by airborne witnesses. No debris field was present, and the search was suspended despite a volunteer effort by the research ship Outer Limits.
Witness Information
Two airborne witnesses were in contact with the accident pilot and observed the accident. They had flown from Montgomery Field to Long Beach earlier in the day. During a snack break, the accident pilot mentioned his intention to perform a stall/spin on the return flight, noting he had done so before with a flight instructor and a passenger in the back.
After takeoff from Long Beach, both airplanes climbed to 5,500 feet. About 5 nautical miles south of Dana Point, the accident airplane climbed to 7,500 feet to set up for a stall/spin. The witnesses saw it complete one spin and recover to normal flight. The airplane then set up for another spin, entered the spin, and continued spinning until it struck the ocean. The accident pilot stated he would "do it one more time" and let it spin a "little more before he start[ed] the recovery." The interval between the two maneuvers was about 5 minutes. After the crash, the witnesses contacted SoCal Approach Control and circled the area providing coordinates, but a low cloud layer prevented them from seeing the airplane in the water.
Personnel Information
A review of FAA records revealed that the 19-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, issued on June 19, 2008. On his application dated June 18, 2008, he reported total flight time of 70 hours. The operator reported an additional 2 hours, for a total of 72 hours. The pilot held a first-class medical certificate issued January 30, 2008, with a limitation requiring corrective lenses. No personal flight records were recovered.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was a 2006 Cessna 172S, serial number 172S10145, powered by a Lycoming IO-360-L2A engine, serial number L-32653-51E. The operator reported that the last 100-hour inspection was completed on June 16, 2008, at which time the total airframe time was 1,009 hours.
Additional Information
According to the Cessna Information Manual for the 172S NAV III Skyhawk, intentional spins are approved when the airplane is operated in the utility category. Spins are not approved when the rear seats are occupied. The manual also states that spins will progress at a fairly rapid rate of rotation and steep attitude if they exceed two rotations. During extended spins, the spin tends to change into a spiral, particularly to the right, accompanied by an increase in airspeed and gravity loads on the airplane.