Cessna 172M accident near Lebec, California, March 10, 1984
On March 10, 1984 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N880LS, was destroyed in an accident near Lebec, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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
- March 10, 1984 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Lebec, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N880LS · registry record · serial 17263937
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN A PRELIMINARY ORAL STATEMENT, THE PLT SAID THAT THEY ENCOUNTERED AN UNFORCASTED OVERCAST & RISING MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. LATER, SHE STATED THEY WERE TRYING TO MAINTAIN VFR FLT IN MOUNTAINS WITH SCATTERED CLOUDS IN THE AREA; THEN WHEN THEY WERE INITIATING A CLIMB TO CLEAR A RIDGE, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT SETTLED INTO TREES ON A STEEP RISING SLOPE & CRASHED. BOTH PLTS ESTIMATED THE VISIBILITY WAS ABOUT 1.5 MI. OTHER PARTICIPANTS OBSERVED CLOUDS OBSCURING THE RIDGE CREST & DEVIATED ABOUT 5 MI SOUTH TO LOWER TERRAIN. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS APRX 5000 FT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 307 hours in all; 44 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 206 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,795 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 24, 1983; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alpha Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: VNY Van Nuys CA at 6:15 pm
- Destination: VNY Van Nuys CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; scat
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from BFL, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.