Cessna 182P accident near Big Bear City, California, December 28, 1984
On December 28, 1984 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N5948J, was destroyed in an accident near Big Bear City, California (Big Bear City airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were 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 28, 1984 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Big Bear City, California · Big Bear City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N5948J · no longer on the register · serial 18263588
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED IN A MOUNTAINOUS AREA WHILE ON A VFR PERSONAL FLT TO LONG BEACH, CA. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PRIVATE PLT & 4 MINOR CHILDREN ABOARD THE ACFT WERE KILLED. BY LOW CLOUDS & THERE WERE EXTENSIVE SNOW SHOWERS IN THE AREAREA THE PLT'S LOG BOOK INDICATED THAT HE HAD RECEIVED 5.0 SIMULATED INSTRUMENT FLT HRS & 0.5 ACTUAL INSTRUMENT FLT HRS OF DUAL INSTRUCTION. THE ACFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT ALTITUDE. THE FLT CONTROL REMAINED ATTACHED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE ATTACH FITTINGS; CONTINUITY OF THE FLT CONTROL CABLES TO THE CABIN/COCKPIT AREA WAS ESTABLISHED.
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: 133 hours in all; 111 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 67 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,198 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, November 1, 1983; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L35 Big Bear City CA at 10:38 pm
- Destination: LGB Long Beach CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 5,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:00 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.