Beech A45 accident near Fallbrook, California, April 22, 1985
On April 22, 1985 at about 2:15 am local time, a Beech A45, registered N7GN, was destroyed in an accident near Fallbrook, 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
- April 22, 1985 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Fallbrook, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech A45 · all A45s on the register
- Registration
- N7GN · no longer on the register · serial G146
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS FLYING TO HIS HOME ARPT UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FROM HIS PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED LOW CEILINGS & VISIBILITIES. HE CONTD AT LOW ALT ALONG AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY TOWARD HIS ORIGINAL DESTINATION. A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE PLT HAD TO CLIMB TO CLEAR AN OVERPASS. THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A LEFT TURN. DURING THE TURN, ITS LEFT WING HIT AN ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINE & THE ACFT CRASHED. TOXICOLOGY TESTS SHOWED THE PLT HAD A BLOOD/ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.090% & A URINE/ALCOHOL LEVEL OF 0.097%.
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, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,268 hours in all; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,201 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 1984; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA at 1:30 am
- Destination: CRQ Carlsbad CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.