Cessna 172M accident near Carlsbad, California, February 18, 1986
On February 18, 1986 at about 3:03 am local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N9253H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Carlsbad, California (Mcclellan-Palomar airport). It was a business 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
- February 18, 1986 · about 3:03 am local time
- Place
- Carlsbad, California · Mcclellan-Palomar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N9253H · no longer on the register · serial 17266048
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER FAILING TO SEE THE RUNWAY ON HIS FIRST ILS APPROACH IN WEATHER REPORTED AT IFR MINIMUMS FOR LANDING, THE PILOT WAS RADAR VECTORED FOR A SECOND APPROACH. ACCORDING TO CONTROLLERS THE APPROACH APPEARED TO BE NORMAL UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT'S RADAR TARGET DISAPPEARED OFF THE SCOPE APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES FROM THE RUNWAY. GROUND RESCUE FOUND THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN A FOG SHROUDED RIDGE, IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE IT DISAPPEARED FROM RADAR.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 779 hours in all; 145 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,216 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 11, 1985; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRQ Carlsbad CA
- Destination: L08 Borrego Springs CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 4,700 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:46 am from CRQ, 2 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.