Cessna 182Q accident near Soledad, California, January 21, 1984
On January 21, 1984 at about 8:07 am local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N96956, was destroyed in an accident near Soledad, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- January 21, 1984 · about 8:07 am local time
- Place
- Soledad, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N96956 · no longer on the register · serial 18266912
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF A HILL AT ABOUT 1500 FT MSL IN A 50 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. THE PLT HAD ENCOUNTEREDWEATHER ON A NIGHT VFR FLT. HE WAS ATTEMPTED TO RETURN THE ACFT FOR A SCHEDULED CLUB FLT THE NEXT MORNING. HE HAD PREVIOUSLY PLANNED AN EARLY AM DEPARTURE BUT WAS DOUBTFUL OF THE MORNING WEATHER AND HE MADE THE NIGHT DEPARTURE EVEN THOUGH VFR FLT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. HIS ROUTE OF FLT WAS BASICALLY NORTH AND THE CRASH OCCURRED ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING. WITNESSES IN THE AREA HEARD AN ACFT AROUND MIDNIGHT. IT WAS RAINY AND FOGGY AT THE TIME. THE ACCIDENT SITE WAS ABOUT 40 MILES SE OF DEPARTURE POINT. DESTINATION WAS ABOUT 60 MILES NORTH.
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: 2,958 hours in all; 178 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 1,618 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,133 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 1983; 904 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,220 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRY Monterey CA at 10:48 pm
- Destination: HWD Hayward CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 am from SNS, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.