Cessna 172N accident near Livermore, California, December 26, 1984
On December 26, 1984 at about 7:06 pm local time, a Cessna 172N, registered N5184D, was destroyed in an accident near Livermore, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- December 26, 1984 · about 7:06 pm local time
- Place
- Livermore, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172N · all 172Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5184D · no longer on the register · serial 17272440
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT DEPARTED THE ARPT ON A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE. WX AT THE TIME WAS 1,000 OVERCAST, 2.5 MILES IN LIGHT RAIN AND FOG. ACFT TURNED EASTBOUND FOLLOWING A HIGHWAY TOWARD A PASS IN THE HILLS TO THE EAST AND COLLIDED WITH THE RISING TERRAIN ABOUT MID-WAY THROUGH THE PASS. WITNESSES DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY REPORTED THE PASS WAS OBSCURED IN 'CLOUDS, FOG AND RAIN' AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
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: 107 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 70 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,868 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1984; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-H2AD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Travis Afb Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: LVK Livermore CA at 7:01 pm
- Destination: 8Q0 Travis Afb CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,000 ft; scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:46 pm from LVK, 8 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.