Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 152 near Piru, CA — 2008-07-02

Final reportLAX08LA211
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Date
2008-07-02
Location
Piru, CA, USA
Aircraft
CESSNA 152
Registration
N25490
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
1

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB narrative

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.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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