Cessna 172 N7383A

Summary

On 22 December 2005 at about 04:46 local time, a Cessna 172 registered N7383A, operated by Mathew M. Armstrong, was involved in an accident near Gilroy, California, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 December 2005 at 04:46

Classification

Accident

Location

Gilroy, California, United States

Coordinates

37.0678, -121.5189

Aircraft

Cessna 172

Registration

N7383A

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Mathew M. Armstrong

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Martin → Fresno

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX06LA064

4 people died.

The non-instrument rated pilot's poor judgment to fly in dark night instrument conditions, which resulted in his spatial disorientation and loss of aircraft control while maneuvering. Contributing factors were the dark night light condition and the low ceiling.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument-rated private pilot lost control of the non-instrument-certificated airplane during a dark, night, cross-country flight, in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The pilot received a weather briefing, which indicated that visual flight rules (VFR) flight was not recommended due to low clouds and precipitation that were reducing visibilities along his route of flight. The pilot elected to depart on the cross-country flight despite the weather briefing, and despite the fact that the airplane was not equipped with an attitude indicator or a directional gyro. During the accident flight, the pilot reported having trouble finding his bearings and maintaining control of the airplane. The pilot received his private pilot certificate about one-month prior to the accident and accumulated about 120 total flight hours. According to his last flight instructor, they did not review go/no-go decision making or personal minimums. Post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies that would have affected the controllability of the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.