Cessna 414A accident near Carlsbad, California, September 20, 1984
On September 20, 1984 at about 1:44 pm local time, a Cessna 414A, registered N2700S, was destroyed in an accident near Carlsbad, California (Mcclellan Palomar airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. 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
- September 20, 1984 · about 1:44 pm local time
- Place
- Carlsbad, California · Mcclellan Palomar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414A · all 414As on the register
- Registration
- N2700S · no longer on the register · serial 414A
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON IFR DEPARTURE IN MINIMAL WEATHER CONDITIONS.ON TAKEOFF ROLL, A PWR LOSS OCCURRED ON THE RT ENG AND THE ACFT VEERED TO THE RT. PIC (OWNER) IN LEFT SEAT INITIATED ABORTED TAKEOFF, BUT RT SEAT PLT TOOK CONTROL, CONTINUED TAKEOFF AND FEATHERED THE RT PROP. BOTH PLTS OBSERVED SMOKE FROM THE ENGS ON THEIR RESPECTIVE SIDES, BOTH THOUGHT LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED. (INVESTIGATION REVEALED LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN.) ACFT COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT, PLTS ELECTED TO DITCH IN OCEAN. INVESTIGATION REVEALED ACFT HAD BEEN SERVICED WITH 147 GALS OF JET FUEL INSTEAD OF AVGAS AT 0445 HRS BY A FBO LINEMAN. THE LINEMAN HAD 3 WEEKS TTL EXPERIENCE, 1 1/2 HRS VIDEO TAPE TRAINING AND WAS WORKING 2 JOBS 7 DAYS PER WEEK.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,565 hours in all; 173 in this make and model; 53 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 1,431 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,056 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 18, 1984; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,785 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRQ Carlsbad CA at 1:41 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 4,700 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm from SAN, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.