Cessna 180 N3358D

Summary

On 4 November 1995 at about 17:58 local time, a Cessna 180 registered N3358D was involved in an accident near Placerville, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 November 1995 at 17:58

Classification

Accident

Location

Placerville, California, United States

Coordinates

38.7296, -120.7993

Aircraft

Cessna 180

Registration

N3358D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Auburn → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96LA040

2 people died.

the pilot's intentional buzzing, his failure to identify an obstruction (inadequate visual lookout), and his failure to maintain adequate altitude/clearance from the obstruction (utility pole). Factors relating to the accident were: dust generated by farm machinery and sun glare, which reduced the pilot's ability to visually detect the obstruction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane approached an open field at tree-top level and struck a 34-foot utility pole about 6 feet from its top, then it burst into flames and crashed in the field. A friend of the pilot who was operating a tractor in the field saw the airplane at low altitude. He stated that the pilot had buzzed him in the past, and he thought that the pilot intended to buzz him again. A representative from the aircraft manufacturer flew over the same route, under similar weather conditions, and at about the same altitude and time of day. He reported (to the investigator) that he had difficulty seeing the lines and poles due to sun glare and similar color terrain, although he knew their location. Also, ground witnesses noted that the tractor was generating dust near the pole at the time of the accident. Toxicology tests of the pilot's blood showed 0.027 mcg/ml Temazepam (a short-term sleep aid), and a low level of Temazepam was detected in his urine. Also, a low level of Oxazepam (a metabolite of Temazepam) was detected in the pilot's blood and urine. Previous studies of Temazepam blood levels suggest that at least 24 hours had elapsed since the pilot had last utilized the drug; thus, the drug was unlikely to have affected the pilot's performance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.