Cessna A185F accident near Tehachapi, CA
On January 3, 1995, a Cessna A185F (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tehachapi, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 3, 1995
- Place
- Tehachapi, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna A185F · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.120°N, 118.510°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001207X02872
Official records · LAX95FA072
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 3, 1995, at 1052 Pacific standard time, a Cessna A185F, N94296, collided with mountainous terrain after encountering instrument meteorological conditions in a mountain pass near Tehachapi, California. The aircraft was owned and operated by the pilot. The weather conditions reported by a National Weather Service observer in the town and by eyewitnesses to the accident consisted of a 50-foot overcast with the visibility 1/2 mile in snow showers. The aircraft was destroyed in the ground collision sequence and postcrash fire. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The flight originated at Prescott, Arizona, on the day of the accident about 0830 Pacific standard time as a personal flight to Novato, California. According to a statement from the pilot's wife, he flew this route from Prescott to Novato on a regular basis. She noted that the pilot obtained what she described as a "weather briefing" from a computer service called Compuserve just before he left for the airport. Compuserve was contacted and a representative of the company reported that its system recorded two sessions of use for the pilot's account number on January 3, 1995. The first was from 1042:00 to 1045:52 Eastern standard time and the second session was from 1047:07 to 1048:06. The company representative said it had no way of determining in detail what services the customer used during the sessions. The company records do disclose that the user was in the "weather system information" menu and looked at a radar summary map. According to the compan
Probable cause
THE NONINSTRUMENT-RATED PILOT'S CONTINUED FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER, AND HIS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED WHILE MANEUVERING TO REVERSE DIRECTION. FACTORS RELATING TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, AND ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS.
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Browse: California · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
