October 31, Little River, Calif. / Cessna Skylane

At about 18:30 Pacific time, a Cessna 182S crashed about 2 miles from Little River Airport, killing the pilot. The flight left Palo Alto at about 17:00, about the same time a fog layer moved into Little River. Within an hour, the fog layer was reported to be several hundred feet thick, with visibility 1 mile and the sky 80 percent dark. A witness said he heard an airplane approach about 17:45, with no unusual sounds. About 10 minutes later he heard the engine throttle back, so he got his handheld radio and contacted the pilot. The pilot asked conditions at the airport. The pilot reported he saw the airport as he passed over it but lost sight as he flew the traffic pattern. The witness said he heard no more from the pilot and assumed he had gone to a nearby airport that was reporting clear conditions. He then received a page from the Fire Department of a reported airplane down.