NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX88FA307
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING NIGH VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE AT NIGH AND THE LACK OF OUTSIDE VISUAL REFERENCES DUE TO DARKNESS.
Factual narrative
THE PILOT HAD FLOWN THE ACFT ON TWO PREVIOUS FLIGHTS ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT. THE FIRST FLT WAS WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE SECOND FLT WAS ABORTED DURING THE TAKEOFF CLIMB. THE PILOT CALCULATED HIS WEIGHT ONBOARD AND REALIZED HE EXCEEDED THE MAX GROSS. HE DEFUELED AN UNKNOWN QUANTITY OF FUEL AND PLANNED TO STAY THE NIGHT IN THE AREA BUT WAS UNABLE TO SECURE LODGING. HE THEN ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE FLT THAT NIGHT. WITNESSES STATED THE ACFT CLIMBED TO APRX 200 FT WITH THE WINGS FLUCTUATING IN BANK ANGLE AFTER WHICH THE ACFT ENTERED A SPIRAL AND DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. DENSITY ALT WAS CALCULATED TO HAVE BEEN 8,500 FT WHEN THE TAKEOFF OCCURRED. THE ARPT PROVIDES A 'BLACK HOLE' ENVIROMENT AT NIGHT. REVIEW OF THE PLT LOGBOOKS REVEALED A LACK OF RECENT NIGHT EXPERIENCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH FAR PART 61.75(D). Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1988_LAX88FA307.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Crash Testing and Simulation of a Cessna 172 Aircraft: Pitch Down Impact Onto Soft Soil
During the summer of 2015, NASA Langley Research Center conducted three full-scale crash tests of Cessna 172 (C-172) aircraft at the NASA Langley Landing and Impact Research (LandIR) Facility.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Simulating the Impact Response of Three Full-Scale Crash Tests of Cessna 172 Aircraft
During the summer of 2015, a series of three full-scale crash tests were performed at the Landing and Impact Research Facility located at NASA Langley Research Center of Cessna 172 aircraft.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2023 · Conference paper
Validation of Training Satisfaction Survey
The Training Satisfaction Survey (TSS) was developed as part of a larger project to examine the features of Virtual Reality software and supporting devices as a training program on visual illusions an…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Data in Brief)
Cockpit voice recorder transcript data: Capturing safety voice and safety listening during historic aviation accidents
Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) transcripts capture audio data within cockpit environments. This aids the investigation of causal factors contributing to aviation accidents by revealing communication and…
- Semantic Scholar 2021 · Article (Safety Science)
Safety voice and safety listening during aviation accidents: Cockpit voice recordings reveal that speaking-up to power is not enough
Abstract Safety voice is theorised as an important factor for mitigating accidents, but behavioural research during actual hazards has been scant.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2021 · Journal article (JAAER)
Can Backward-Chained, Ab-Initio Pilot Training Decrease Time to First Solo?
Flight simulation has made progressively significant inroads into pilot training at all levels of a pilot’s career – typically starting with training for the Instrument rating in light aircraft and co…
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