Cessna 172 accident near Gilroy, CA
On December 22, 2005, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Gilroy, CA. 4 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 22, 2005
- Place
- Gilroy, CA
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 4 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 37.068°N, 121.519°W
- NTSB ID
- 20051227X02016
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 21, 2005, at 2046 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172, N7383A, impacted terrain following a loss of control near Gilroy, California. The non-instrument rated private pilot and his three passengers were fatally injured. The pilot operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the cross-country flight, which departed the South County Airport (E16), San Martin, California, around 2035. The flight was destined for Fresno, California. According to a friend of the pilot, who was also the owner of the airplane, the pilot flew from Fresno to E16 because he had a business in San Jose, California, and was dropping off some parts for that business. He brought along members of his family, and they stayed in San Martin for a couple of hours and went to a movie while waiting for some weather to clear before returning to Fresno. The friend asked the pilot to stay at his place for the night since the weather had not improved much, but the pilot declined the offer. The following information was obtained from the Oakland Flight Service Station (FSS) weather briefing given to the pilot between 1908 and 1923. The pilot called the FSS indicating that he wanted to know if "conditions are good for a flight from South County to Fresno Chandler." The pilot informed the briefer that he was flying a Cessna 172 and it would be a visual flight rules (VFR) flight. The controller informed the pilot that VFR flight was not recommended, as there were wid
Probable cause
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.
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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.
