Cessna 177RG accident near San Bernardino, California, November 28, 1985
On November 28, 1985 at about 4:45 am local time, a Cessna 177RG, registered N7541V, was destroyed in an accident near San Bernardino, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- November 28, 1985 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- San Bernardino, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 177RG · all 177RGs on the register
- Registration
- N7541V · no longer on the register · serial 177RG-0838
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUMENT RATED PLT & HIS FAMILY FLEW FROM TX TO CA. IT WAS NIGHT TIME UPON ARRIVAL AND THE PLT DID NOT COMMUNICATE WITH ANY FAA FACILITY. EARLIER IN THE FLT, DURING A REFUELING STOP, THE PLT HAD TELEPHONED A FRIEND AND HIS PARENTS TO ARRANGE TO BE PICKED UP AT HIS DESTINATION ARPT. UPON ARRIVING IN CA THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO CIRCLE OVER HIS FRIEND'S HOUSE TO LET THEM KNOW OF HIS ARRIVAL. WHILE CIRCLING THE PLT COLLIDED WITH THE MOUNTAIN ON WHICH THE HOUSE WAS LOCATED. MVFR WEATHER WAS REPORTED 5 MI SOUTH AND 1200 FT BELOW THE CRASH SITE, AND THE REPORTED WEATHER WAS A CEILING AT 1000 FT AGL.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,582 hours in all; 33 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 2,434 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 12, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 2:45 am
- Destination: L67 Rialto CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 am from SBD, 5 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.