Cessna 177RG accident near Pauma Valley, California, May 27, 2001
On May 27, 2001 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N8287G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pauma Valley, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional flight into instrument meteorological conditions and failure to maintain clearance from terrain during an approach for landing under visual flight rules.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2001 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pauma Valley, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N8287G · no longer on the register · serial 177RG0187
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument-rated pilot stated that he was descending in visual flight rules conditions, and was on the extended downwind leg for landing at the destination airport. He intentionally flew into the top of what appeared to be an isolated, "puffy" cloud, expecting to be in the cloud only briefly and to see the runway again on the other side. The cloud was more expansive than he anticipated and the airplane continued to descend in the cloud for a period of time until the pilot saw vegetation on a mountainside a short distance in front of them. The pilot took evasive action and the airplane impacted upsloping mountainous terrain and slid to a stop through heavy sagebrush.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,400 hours in all; 4,800 in this make and model; 7,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,801 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 2000; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L08 Borrego Springs CA at 8:45 pm
- Destination: 95L Pauma Valley CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from CRQ, 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.
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.