Cessna 152 accident near Ventura, California, October 16, 1999
On October 16, 1999 at about 5:45 am local time, a Cessna 152, registered N5169B, was destroyed in an accident near Ventura, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's continued VFR flight into IMC. Contributing factors were the pilot's self induced pressure to depart the airport before the weather worsened and the airport closed, and the mountain obscurement and foggy weather conditions, and the night light conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 16, 1999 · about 5:45 am local time
- Place
- Ventura, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 152 · all 152s on the register
- Registration
- N5169B · registry record · serial 15283785
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with hilly coastal terrain during a night cross-country flight. The noninstrument rated private pilot received three weather briefings throughout the day prior to the accident flight. The pilot was told during the last weather briefing that the weather was supposed to be VFR along the route of flight with cloud levels ranging between 1,000 feet to 2,200 feet agl, and IFR conditions to occur after midnight. The pilot was also informed that if he waited until the following morning to depart, the weather was forecasted to be IFR and that he may have to wait for the weather to clear. The weather briefer also informed the pilot that an air show was scheduled for the following morning at the departure airport, and that if the pilot could not depart prior to 1100 the following morning, he would be stuck at the airport because it would be closed to departing and arriving traffic. An eyewitness walking on the beach reported that he saw an airplane flying low overhead at 100 feet agl. He observed the airplane make a left turn and fly inland less than a mile before he observed it flying south again. He stated that the airplane disappeared from his view in a coastal fogbank that was also obscuring steeply rising terrain further to the south. He did not hear the sound of a collision or see a fire, and assumed that the aircraft had cleared the rising terrain. The airplane wreckage was located the following morning approximately 50 feet below a ridge line on a southerly heading. The pilot had accumulated 120 total flight hours, of which 20 hours were flown at night, and 5 hours were flown in simulated instrument conditions. No anomalies were noted with the airplane and engine that would have prevented their normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 120 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 8, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,613 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 16, 1999; 38.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SBA Santa Barbara CA at 5:26 am
- Destination: SNA Santa Ana CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 am from SBA, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N5169B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.