Cessna 172N N3579E

Summary

On 29 November 1982 at about 06:15 local time, a Cessna 172N registered N3579E, operated by Pioneer Aviation, was involved in an accident near Near Rialto, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

29 November 1982 at 06:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Near Rialto, California, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 172N

Registration

N3579E

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Pioneer Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Palms Springs → Van Nuys

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX83FUG07

3 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGERS HAD FLOWN FROM VAN NUYS, CA TO PALM SPRING, CA DURING THE AFTERNOON. AFTER ARRIVAL, THEY SPENT SEVERAL HOURS ON THE GROUND. AT 1740, THE PILOT CALLED A FSS TO OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING FOR A FLIGHT TO CONCORD, CA. DURING THE BRIEFING, HE WAS ADVISED THAT VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. THE FORCAST INDICATED DETERIORATING WEATHER CONDITIONS DUE TO AN APPROACHING WEATHER SYSTEM OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA. AT 2153 PST, THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED WESTBOUND. RADAR SERVICES WERE TERMINATED 8 MI WEST OF PALM SPRINGS AND NO FURTHER RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WERE MADE. THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO REACH ITS DESTINATION AND A SEARCH WAS INITIATED PROGRESS OF THE SEARCH WAS DELAYED DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND WHERE IT HAD STRUCK STEEP TERRAIN IN CANYON FOOTHILLS AT THE 3400 FT LEVEL. AN INVESTIGATION INDICATED THE PLANE CRASHED IN A SLIGHTLY NOSE LOW, LEFT BANK ATTITUDE. NO PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WERE FOUND.THE ONTARIO, CA WX WAS 2200 BROKEN, 4 MI VIS WITH FOG.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.