Oct. 15, Ventura, Calif. / Cessna 152

At 22:45 PDT, a Cessna 152 struck rising terrain while maneuvering near Ventura. The two aboard were killed. The flight had originated from Santa Barbara about 20 minutes earlier. IMC prevailed at the accident site and no flight plan was filed. A witness was walking on the beach about 22:30 when he saw an aircraft flying along the coastline at about 100 feet. He said the southbound aircraft made a left turn and flew inland less than a mile before turning southbound again. The aircraft disappeared from his view in a coastal fogbank that was also obscuring steeply rising terrain farther south. The accident site was about 550 up terrain that rose to less than 600 feet.