Cessna 172K accident near Hollister, California, February 14, 1982
On February 14, 1982 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 172K, registered N99WM, was destroyed in an accident near Hollister, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 14, 1982 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Hollister, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172K · all 172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N99WM · registry record · serial 17257206
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT FLEW INTO THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN IN LEVEL CRUISE. THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED DURING WEATHER IN WHICH VFR FLIGHT HAD NOT BEEN RECOMMENDED. CLOUDS WERE OBSCURING THE MOUNTAINS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON THE RETURN LEG OF A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. ACCORDING TO THE AIRCRAFT HEADING AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, THE PILOT HAD TURNED TO A COURSE TO RETURN TO AN AREA WHERE THE WEATHER WAS VFR.
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
- Flight time: 265 hours in all; 109 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 236 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,084 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: San Jose Flying Jaguars,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: C Bakersfield CA at 5:15 pm
- Destination: AI San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 122°F (50°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.