Cessna U2061 accident near Pt Reyes, California, March 9, 1983
On March 9, 1983, a Cessna U2061, registered N1456M, was destroyed in an accident near Pt Reyes, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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
- March 9, 1983
- Place
- Pt Reyes, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U2061
- Registration
- N1456M · no longer on the register · serial 020601456
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CESSNA U2061, PURCHASED THAT DAY BY THE OCCUPANTS, COLLIDED WITH TREES ON A HILLSIDE 10 MILES FROM PT. REYES, CA. AN EYEWITNESS OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLYING INTO WORSENING WEATHER AT 500 AGL OR LOWER UNDER A THIN CLOUD LAYER IN THE OLEMA VALLEY. DURING THE WEATHER BRIEFING PRIOR TO FLIGHT, VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE AND A SUBSEQUENT ENGINE TEARDOWN DID NOT REVEAL ANY INDICATIONS OF PREIMPACT FAILURE.
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: 1,000 hours in all; 9 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,721 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CA35 San Rafael CA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: S07 Bend OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; scat
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from APC, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.