Cessna 172 accident near Sutter Creek, California, December 24, 2014
On December 24, 2014 at about 8:25 pm local time, a 1957 Cessna 172, registered N8518B, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Sutter Creek, California (Westover Field Amador County). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The noninstrument-rated pilot's encounter with instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) while maneuvering, which resulted in a loss of airplane control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to attempt to descend into an area of widespread IMC.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 24, 2014 · about 8:25 pm local time
- Place
- Sutter Creek, California · Westover Field Amador County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 UNDESIGNAT, built 1957 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N8518B · no longer on the register · serial 36218
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The noninstrument-rated private pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. Upon return to his home airport, the pilot encountered forecast low ceilings and poor visibility; based on radar data, he was likely maneuvering in an attempt to locate the airport to land. The airplane impacted near the top of a hill at an elevation of 1,590 ft. A couple reported hearing a low-flying airplane with an engine that seemed like it was "struggling" or not producing power. Another witness in the area stated that she heard, but did not see, a low-flying airplane circling overhead and that the engine sounded like it was cutting out. The airplane then descended below a cloud layer, and she saw it heading in an eastbound direction. Although the weather conditions were conducive to the accumulation of carburetor and structural icing, based on the available evidence, the investigation could not determine whether this occurred. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no evidence of a mechanical anomaly that would have precluded normal operation. Instrument flight rule conditions with ceilings below 1,000 ft above ground level (agl), visibility below 3 miles in precipitation and mist, and mountain obscuration were forecast in the area at the time of the accident. However, a search of official weather sources revealed that the pilot had obtained no weather briefings. Reported observations at the destination airport (about 2 miles from the accident site) showed overcast ceilings of about 100 ft agl with a visibility of 1/4 mile about the time of the accident. Radar data showed that the accident airplane approached the area from the southwest (from the departure airport), overflew the destination airport about 4,000 ft agl, and continued tracking to the northeast for about 6 miles before descending and turning back toward the airport. In the minutes before the accident, radar data showed the airplane circling near the accident area at a low altitude. It is likely that the pilot encountered instrument meteorological conditions while maneuvering, which would have been conducive to spatial disorientation, and that the pilot subsequently lost airplane control due to spatial disorientation.
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
What happened, in order
- VFR encounter with IMC during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Below VFR minima › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Qualification/certification › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 900 hours in all
- Last flight review: September 26, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,929.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 12, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 2,299 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cont Motor O-300 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E16 San Martin CA
- Destination: JAQ Sutter Creek CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 8:15 pm from PVF, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.