Cessna 337G accident near Temecula, California, May 27, 2001
On May 27, 2001 at about 7:55 pm local time, a Cessna 337G, registered N337GD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Temecula, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's intentional flight into adverse weather while operating under visual flight rules, his failure to maintain a cruising altitude sufficient to remain clear of power transmission wires, and his failure to maintain a visual lookout sufficient to see and avoid the power transmission wires.
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 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- Temecula, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337G · all 337Gs on the register
- Registration
- N337GD · registry record · serial 33701921
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While en route, following a roadway through a mountain valley and operating under visual flight rules in conditions of low ceiling and poor visibility, the airplane impacted marked power transmission wires approximately 120 feet above ground level. The airplane's windshield was broken out, the cabin ceiling and doorposts were deformed, and a wing strut was damaged. The pilot continued the flight to his intended destination, which was the nearest airport. Weather at the nearest reporting point, 14 miles distant and approximately 1,500 feet lower elevation, reported scattered clouds at 1,000 feet agl and overcast ceiling at 1,500 feet agl.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,907 hours in all; 778 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 1,907 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 14, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,166 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 2, 2000; 101 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,700 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDM San Diego CA at 7:35 pm
- Destination: F70 Murrieta/Temecu CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from KNFG, 14 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.