Cessna 172 accident near Desert Hot Springs, CA

On February 6, 2019, a Cessna 172 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Desert Hot Springs, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.

Date

February 6, 2019

Place

Desert Hot Springs, CA

Aircraft

Cessna 172 · Airplane

Injuries

2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor

Damage

Destroyed

Position

34.026°N, 116.588°W

NTSB ID

20190206X45255

Official records · WPR19FA080

• Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation

Air traffic control records

• FAA Communications Summary: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
• FAA ATC Communication Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov

NTSB summary

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn February 5, 2019, about 1815 pacific standard time, a Cessna 172M airplane, N20556, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Desert Hot Springs, California. The pilot and passenger received fatal injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot departed from Corona Municipal Airport (AJO), Corona, California about 1530 and landed at San Gabriel Valley Airport (EMT), El Monte, California, about 1 hour 20 minutes later to pick up a passenger. A witness at EMT observed the accident airplane parked and tied down on the ramp adjacent to his airplane about 1710. The witness observed the accident pilot perform a preflight inspection that he described as “rushed and cursory.” The accident pilot and a passenger then boarded the accident airplane. The witness noticed that the left wing tiedown line was still attached to the accident airplane when the pilot began to start the engine. The witness got the pilot's attention, made him aware of the tiedown problem, and then by mutual agreement, the witness disconnected the tiedown from the accident airplane. The pilot then taxied to and departed from runway 19 a few minutes later. The flight departed about 1740, and about 7 minutes later, the pilot contacted air traffic control for visual flight rules (VFR) flight-following services to North Las Vegas Airport (VGT), Las Vegas, Nevada, with a planned en route altitude of 3,500 ft. The request was granted, and the pilot was provided with a discrete transponder code for the flight. The pilot advi

Probable cause

The pilot's inadequate and/or improper preparation for the flight in which he selected an altitude too low to assure terrain clearance and resulted in an impact with terrain in turbulent downdraft conditions.

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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.