Cessna R172K accident near Desert Center, California, December 14, 1984
On December 14, 1984 at about 2:05 am local time, a Cessna R172K, registered N7310K, was destroyed in an accident near Desert Center, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- December 14, 1984 · about 2:05 am local time
- Place
- Desert Center, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna R172K · all R172Ks on the register
- Registration
- N7310K · no longer on the register · serial R1722049
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT DEPARTED ON AN IFR FLIGHT AFTER RECEIVING A WEATHER BRIEFING WHICH INCLUDED FLIGHT PRECAUTIONS FOR LIGHT TO MODERATE ICING IN CLOUDS AND IN PRECIPITATION FROM 7,000 FT TO 20,000 FT. THE PILOT REPORTED PICKING UP ICE AND THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO CLIMB OR TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 633 hours in all; 477 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 514 as pilot in command; 30 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,788 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 3, 1984; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-360-K (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ
- Destination: LGB Long Beach CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from TRM, 82 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.