Cessna 152 N25490 accident near Piru, California

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at low altitude, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was performing a pipeline patrol flight and was maneuvering the airplane at low altitude along an expansive dry riverbed that was in a canyon that was on average about 1-mile wide. The pipeline was buried on the south bank of the river, just below a hillside that defined the southern boundary of the canyon. While following the pipeline the pilot came across an area of recent construction digging that had exposed the pipeline. A witness observed the airplane at a slow airspeed and low altitude near the site of the digging when the left wing suddenly dropped and the airplane dove straight down into a small ravine below. The airplane came to rest about 460 feet from the base of a mountain range that comprised the south wall of a 7,500-foot-wide canyon. No evidence of mechanical malfunction or failure was found during a postaccident examination of the airplane and engine.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for LAX08LA211 for the full record.