Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Gnoss Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Novato, California 94947
Saturday, February 18, 1995 20:00 PST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
ON A DARK NIGHT, WITH 10 MILES VISIBILITY, THE PILOT MADE A TRAFFIC PATTERN APPROACH TO RUNWAY 31 AT THE UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT. WHILE DESCENDING ON BASE LEG, THE PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO DRIFT SOUTH OF COURSE. THE AIRPLANE CONTINUED TO DESCEND, AND IT COLLIDED WITH AN UNMARKED HILL ABOUT 3/4 MILE SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT. THE PILOT SUBSEQUENTLY REPORTED THAT BECAUSE THERE WAS A 'LACK OF GROUND REFERENCE,' HE DID NOT OBSERVE THE RISING TERRAIN OR THE SOUTHERLY DRIFT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The pilot's failure to maintain a proper base leg alignment while flying in the traffic pattern and his misjudged distance and altitude during the approach. A factor which contributed to the accident was the dark nighttime lighting condition which reduced the pilot's ability to perceive that he had drifted off course.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 2/18/1995 |
| Event Day of the Week | Saturday |
| Time of Event | 2000 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Standard Time |
| Event City | NOVATO |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 94947 |
| Event Date Year | 1995 |
| Event Date Month | 2 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | GNOSS FIELD |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | O56 |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 120 |
| Airport Elevation | 2 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 38 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Feb 18 1995 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 2126 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 7 2000 4:03PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N9036T |
| NTSB Number | LAX95LA111 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | CESSNA |
| Aircraft Model | 182C |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | 182C |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 52936 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 2650 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 4 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | Oct 1 1994 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 66 |
| Airframe Hours | 5644 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Yes |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | TABER L. KOPAN |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 24 LOWER DRIVE |
| Aircraft Owner City | MILL VALLEY |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 94941 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | TABER L. KOPAN |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | 24 LOWER DRIVE |
| Operator City | MILL VALLEY |
| Operator State | CA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 94941 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | SCK |
| Departure City | STOCKTON |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1915 |
| Departure Time Zone | PST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Approach |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:34AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 31 |
| Runway Length | 3300 |
| Runway Width | 60 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |