Cessna 172 accident near Ramona, CA

On April 24, 1998, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Ramona, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

April 24, 1998

Place

Ramona, CA

Aircraft

Cessna 172 · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

33.069°N, 116.831°W

NTSB ID

20001211X09884

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 24, 1998, at 1515 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172, N8364L, pitched down and impacted terrain while on landing approach at the Ramona, California, airport. The commercial licensed flight instructor and the unlicensed student pilot were fatally injured and the aircraft was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight that was performing touch-and-go landings. Several pilots witnessed the accident and reported that the aircraft was on a stabilized approach to runway 27 approximately 300 feet agl, when the nose of the aircraft abruptly pitched down. In 2 or 3 seconds, the aircraft achieved a near-vertical, nose down attitude that continued to impact. One witness, a retired Safety Board Air Safety Investigator, observed the accident from the cockpit of another aircraft on the north parallel taxiway near the runway 27 threshold. He said that his aircraft was stopped, heading southeast, and that he was watching the accident aircraft on final as part of clearing traffic in preparation for takeoff. He said that the accident aircraft was perhaps a little high on approach. When at 350 or 400 feet agl, the nose abruptly pitched down and the aircraft dove to the ground in a near vertical attitude. This witness was certain that, as the aircraft pitched over, he saw the elevator control deflected full down. It was not a stall and the pitch-over was instantaneous. The aircraft "pushed right over and stayed that way." (The pilot) "had to be deliberately doing it." In the seconds before the pitch-over the aircraft was

Probable cause

The loss of control of the aircraft on final approach for undetermined reasons.

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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.