Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB LAX08LA211
CESSNA 152 — Piru, CA
| Date | July 2, 2008 |
| Location | Piru, CA |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 152 |
| Purpose of flight | Aerial Observation |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 55 |
| Pilot total time | 6,800 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
The pilot was performing a pipeline patrol flight and was maneuvering the airplane at low altitude along an expansive dry riverbed that was in a canyon that was on average about 1-mile wide. The pipeline was buried on the south bank of the river, just below a hillside that defined the southern boundary of the canyon. While following the pipeline the pilot came across an area of recent construction digging that had exposed the pipeline. A witness observed the airplane at a slow airspeed and low altitude near the site of the digging when the left wing suddenly dropped and the airplane dove straight down into a small ravine below. The airplane came to rest about 460 feet from the base of a mountain range that comprised the south wall of a 7,500-foot-wide canyon. No evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure was found during a postaccident examination of the airplane and engine.