Cessna TR182 accident near Independence, California, December 10, 1985
On December 10, 1985 at about 5:04 am local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N737SG, was destroyed in an accident near Independence, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 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 10, 1985 · about 5:04 am local time
- Place
- Independence, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N737SG · no longer on the register · serial R18200878
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE EN ROUTE, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH MOUTAINOUS TERRAIN (TRRN) AT AN APRX ELEV OF 13,500 FT. PREVIOUSLY, THE PLT HAD REQUESTED & WAS RCVG TRAFFIC ADVISORIES FM ARTCC. BFR THE ACDNT, THE ACFT'S PSN & ALT (MODE C REPLY) WERE NOTED BY THE CONTROLLER (CTLR). NO TRRN/OBSTN ALERT WAS ISSUED; HOWEVER, AT THAT TIME, THE FLT WAS OPERATING UNDER VISUAL FLIGHT RULES. ALSO, IT WAS NEAR A ROUTE OFTEN USED BY VFR ACFT TO CROSS OVER THE MTNS, SO NO SAFETY ALERT WAS REQUIRED (ALTHO AFTER THE ACDNT, OAKLAND ARTCC BEGAN PROVIDING TRRN/OBSTN ALERTS TO VFR ACFT AS AN ADNL SERVICE). THE ACFT CRASHED INTO 32 DEG UPSLOPING TRRN BELOW MT KEITH (ELEV 13,976 FT), APRX 8 MI NNW OF MT WHITNEY. ON THE LATEST SECTIONAL CHART, THERE WAS A NOTE (APRX 1/2 INCH FM THE CRASH LOCATION) WHICH STATED 'CAUTION - RAPIDLY RISING TERRAIN.' ALSO, THE CHART HAD 2 MAX ELEV FIGURES WHICH SHOWED THAT NEARBY TRRN ROSE ABOVE 14,000 FT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 807 hours in all; 738 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 685 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 27, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-L3C5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 005 Davis CA at 3:40 am
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:51 am from FAT, 67 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.