Cessna P206B accident near Kernville, California, August 16, 1983
On August 16, 1983 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Cessna P206B, registered N4738F, was destroyed in an accident near Kernville, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- August 16, 1983 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Kernville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P206B · all P206Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4738F · no longer on the register · serial 0338
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS CONDUCTING AN AERIAL SEARCH IN A BOX CANYON. ACCORDING TO THE SURVIVING PAX THEY RAN OUT OF ROOM TO TURN THE ACFT AROUND IN THE CANYON. THE ACFT CRASHED AT THE 3,850 FT LEVEL. SURROUNDING MOUNTAIN PEAKS ARE 9,470 FT MSL.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,879 hours in all; 810 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,781 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,324 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 3, 1983; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L05 Kernville CA at 6:21 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.