The pilot flew, at night, into a low overcast. He was not rated for flight by instruments. The spatial disorientation that results from that can come on immediately, and in this case, like so many, resulted loss of control of the aircraft (in this case, stall/spin) From altitude in a high speed descent the aircraft would have been heavily fragmented (non surviveable), so if her remains were entangled in any of wreckage, it would have dispersed fairly quickly with ocean currents. 30 years on, there would likely only be small bits of bone, now covered with sediment on the ocean floor, no chance of recovery.
Here's the synopsis of the factual report of the NTSB from the time. For brevity, and to avoid copyright restrictions, only the key portions are here, information on maintenance, fueling records and Half Moon Bay airport info are ommitted (don't contain any pertinent data).
www.ntsb.gov Cessna 152 crash in California (N761GZ) | PlaneCrashMap.com
NTSB Factual Report
On June 19, 1994, about 2314 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 152, N761GZ, crashed into the ocean after takeoff from the Half Moon Bay Airport, Half Moon Bay, California. The airplane was being operated as a
visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country personal flight to Palo Alto, California, when the accident occurred. The airplane, registered to the pilot and operated by the West Valley Flying Club, Palo Alto, was destroyed. The certificated private pilot received fatal injuries. A passenger on board was not recovered and is presumed to have received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operations inspector, Oakland Flight Standards District Office, reported that following departure,
witnesses reported hearing an engine sound increase and observed the airplane descend out of overcast cloud conditions about 800 to 1,000 feet above the ground. Several witnesses reported that the airplane was spinning. The airplane collided with the water in a steep, nose-down attitude.
Personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard conducted a search operation for any survivors, with negative results. The search was centered on floating debris about 2 miles south of the airport and about 1 mile from the shoreline.
Search personnel from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, Redwood City, California, conducted several search operations utilizing divers and side-scanning sonar. The aircraft was not located.
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. (note, no instrument rating) he most recent third-class medical certificate was issued to the pilot on October 13, 1992, and contained the limitation that the pilot must have available correcting glasses for near vision.
The pilot's total aeronautical experience consists of about 1,000 hours, of which 800 were accrued in the accident aircraft make and model. In the 90 days preceding the accident, the pilot had accrued about 4.8 hours in the accident aircraft.
The closest official weather observation station is San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California, which is located 9 nautical miles northeast of the accident site. At 2300 hours, a surface observation was reporting in part: Sky condition and ceiling,
800 feet scattered clouds, measured ceiling
, 1,100 feet broken, 25,000 feet broken;
visibility, 12 miles; temperature, 55 degrees F; dew point, 51 degrees F; wind, 300 degrees at 10 knots; altimeter, 30.01 inHg.
(note from gg - you need a minimum of 1000 foot ceiling and 3 miles visibility for VFR flying, this might have been technically legal at SFO but would be consdered "marginal", at night, even more so).
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office conducted a missing persons investigation to establish the airplane occupants' identities. Their investigation revealed that the pilot and passenger had flown to Half Moon Bay for dinner and were to return to Palo Alto on the accident date.
On July 22, 1994, the pilot was recovered from the ocean beach area of Half Moon Bay, west of Miranda Avenue. A post mortem examination of the pilot was conducted by the San Mateo County Coroner's Office, 401 Marshall, Redwood City, California, on July 23, 1994. The passenger has not been recovered.
NTSB Probable Cause
THE PILOT'S LOSS OF AIRCRAFT CONTROL DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION.
