Cessna 152 N64845

Summary

On 6 April 1997 at about 22:28 local time, a Cessna 152 registered N64845, operated by Fallon Airmotive, Inc., was involved in an accident near S. Lake Tahoe, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 April 1997 at 22:28

Classification

Accident

Location

S. Lake Tahoe, California, United States

Nearest airport

Lake Tahoe (TVL)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 152

Registration

N64845

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Fallon Airmotive, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Fallon

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX97FA148

1 person died.

The pilot's collision with mountainous terrain due to his failure to follow published high density altitude departure procedures during climb out, and route selection which exceeded the airplane's maximum climb performance specifications. Also causal was the CFI's inadequate flight supervision and improper approval of his student's preflight preparation and route selection. Factors were: the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, his lack of high density altitude training for the area flown, and the high density altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot was on an authorized round-robin cross-country flight with several intermediate landings. He had made 1 landing at the first airport, and 3 landings at the second airport, having a density altitude of about 6,700 feet. He then took off but did not follow the published (recommended) departure procedures for gaining altitude. He did, however, proceed along his flight plan route directly toward the next authorized landing site. The route was over terrain which required the airplane to climb at a rate which exceeded its published maximum performance. After climbing about 4 minutes the airplane collided with trees and impacted the snow covered mountainside about 7,840 feet msl. The CFI reported that he had personally authorized his student to make the flight, but told him to change the route from what the student had initially selected (accident route) to one over lower terrain. The CFI had not flown with the student in 3 months nor had he provided dual cross-country training in nearly 6 months. Also, the CFI had not provided his student with high density altitude flight training in the geographical area flown. Prior to the student's departure, the CFI had not reviewed with him the latest forecast weather conditions or ensured that the pencil line depicting the route of flight was drawn away from the higher elevation mountainous terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.