On January 18, 2010, about 0822 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 172M, N13073, collided with up sloping mountainous terrain while maneuvering in a southerly direction over the Joshua Tree National Park, about 14 miles southeast of the community of Joshua Tree, California. The airplane was destroyed, and its two pilots were seriously injured. The pilot-in-command held certified flight instructor (CFI) and commercial pilot certificates. The second pilot, who was receiving flight instruction, held a student pilot certificate. The student pilot co-owned and operated the airplane. Instrument meteorological conditions existed in the vicinity, and no flight plan was filed. The flight was performed under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated about 0755 from the Roy Williams (uncontrolled) Airport, located about 4 miles northeast of the Joshua Tree community.
Acquaintances of the pilots reported to the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that the CFI was familiar with the geographic area. The CFI planned to instruct the student in airplane operations at the Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), located about 27 miles south-southwest of the Roy Williams Airport. The accident occurred in the Joshua Tree Wilderness Area, while en route to Palm Springs.
Preliminary information received from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated that about 0821, one of the pilots in N13073 contacted Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (SOCAL). The pilot informed SOCAL that he intended to land at PSP under visual flight rules.
At the time, the airplane was about 6,100 feet mean sea level (msl). To positively identify the airplane, the FAA issued the pilot a discrete transponder code. At 0822 the pilot acknowledged receipt of the transponder code. The FAA indicated that seconds later, as its controller was in the process of identifying the airplane's position on radar, the target disappeared about 5,600 feet msl. There were no further communications with the airplane, which appeared to have been flying in a southerly direction.
Through customary channels, the FAA conveyed to the U.S. Air Force Rescue Coordination Center the circumstances of this event, and it assigned a search mission to the voluntary Civil Air Patrol (CAP) organization. The CAP dispatched an airplane to overfly the area. The CAP's airplane crew detected transmission of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) beacon on frequency 121.5 MHz and relayed the beacon's approximate location to its ground crew. The CAP flight crew reported that due to the inclement weather, no visual contact with the ground was possible. CAP ground personnel, along with National Park Service (NPS) personnel, commenced hiking into the mountainous area. Using hand held homing devices, the airplane was located about 2200 hours and about 5,000 feet msl. Both pilots were found inside the upside down airplane.
According to the NPS District Ranger, one of its observers reported that about the time of the accident, there were clouds in the vicinity of the crash site. The clouds obscured the mountain where the airplane crashed.
Elevations at the Williams and Palm Spring airports are 2,464 and 477 feet msl, respectively.
At 0753, Palm Springs reported 10 miles visibility, light rain, few clouds at 4,500 feet, and broken clouds at 7,000 and 11,000 feet above ground level (agl). The temperature and dew point were 13 and 9 degrees Celsius, respectively.
At 0853, Palm Springs reported 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 3,300 feet, and broken clouds at 4,500 and 6,000 feet agl. The temperature and dew point were unchanged.
The airplane will be recovered from the accident site and examined.