Cessna 182Q accident near Carlsbad, California, April 29, 2007
On April 29, 2007 at about 4:46 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N97287, was destroyed in an accident near Carlsbad, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2007 · about 4:46 pm local time
- Place
- Carlsbad, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N97287 · no longer on the register · serial 18267043
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff on runway 24, air traffic control instructed the pilot to climb and maintain 5,000 feet, turn to a heading of 060 degrees, and proceed direct to a navigation aid. The pilot acknowledged the controller's instruction. Approximately 2 minutes later, the controller asked what the pilot was doing and there was no response. A witness observed the airplane coming out of the base of a 700-foot overcast cloud layer in a steep nose down attitude just before it impacted the ocean. The airplane and the pilot were not recovered from the water. According to acquaintances, the pilot had recently began to get into flying again. On a medical certificate dated 4 months prior to the accident, the pilot reported 0 flight hours in the preceding 6 months. The pilot's flight time records were not located and the investigation could not establish the pilot's recent flying experience or instrument currency. According to the weather observations and reports, the tops of the overcast layer were 2,000 feet.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,975 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,137 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRQ Carlsbad CA at 4:43 pm
- Destination: CHD Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from CRQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.