Cessna 172N accident near La Jolla, CA
On November 24, 1997, a Cessna 172N (airplane) was involved in an accident near La Jolla, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- November 24, 1997
- Place
- La Jolla, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.861°N, 117.240°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X09194
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On November 24, 1997, at 1352 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172N, N6463D, crashed into the Pacific ocean while maneuvering approximately 1 mile northwest of the La Jolla, California, coastline. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot, the sole occupant, received fatal injuries. The aircraft was being operated as a personal flight by Flyers, Inc. when the accident occurred. The flight originated from Montgomery Field about 1330. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The Montgomery Field air traffic control tower (ATCT) operator confirmed that he was tracking a series of VFR, altitude encoding, 1200 returns. He believed, but could not confirm, that they were emanating from the accident aircraft. He described the returns as forming a track that continued on a westerly direction from the airport toward Mt. Soledad. The track circled Mt. Soledad once and then went on north to a point about 1 mile west of the coastline. At that point the returns indicated an altitude of 3,000 feet msl, then showed a descent to 1,500 feet, and finally back up to 1,800 feet before radar contact was lost. At the time of the accident a lifeguard near the accident site reported seeing a southbound single engine aircraft. The aircraft completed a loop, leveled off for several seconds, and then nosed over in a steep dive until the aircraft crashed into the ocean. A female caller, reportedly the pilot's girlfriend, contacted the operator asking if the pilot had taken off, and expressed concern about a possible attempted suicide. Th
Probable cause
the pilot's act of suicide by intentionally diving his aircraft into the ocean.
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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.
