Cessna 182N accident near Wilmington, California, August 20, 1986
On August 20, 1986 at about 4:51 am local time, a Cessna 182N, registered N92252, was destroyed in an accident near Wilmington, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- August 20, 1986 · about 4:51 am local time
- Place
- Wilmington, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182N · all 182Ns on the register
- Registration
- N92252 · no longer on the register · serial 18260112
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A LOCAL NIGHT INSTRUCTIONAL FLT THE PLTS REPORTED THAT THE ENG BEGAN TO RUN VERY ROUGH AND EVENTUALLY QUIT WHEN POWER WAS REDUCED SLIGHTLY TO BEGIN THE DESCENT FOR THE DESTINATION ARPT. THE ACFT STRUCK POWER LINES, TWO SMALL BUILDINGS AND A BRICK WALL DURING THE NIGHT FORCED LANDING IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA. EXAMINATION OF THE ENG REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER ONE CYLINDER EXHAUST VALVE ROCKER ARM SHAFT BOSS JOURNAL HAD FAILED. TESTS OF AN IDENTICAL ENG DUPLICATING THE BOSS JOURNAL FAILURE IN A TEST CELL REPLICATED THE ENG POWER LOSS AS DESCRIBED BY THE CREW. THE CYLINDER HAD BEEN CHANGED 27 HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. EVIDENCE INDICATED THAT THE ROCKER ARM SHAFT KEEPER BOLT HAD BEEN OVER TORQUED DURING THE OVERHAUL.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 846 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 726 as pilot in command; 139 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,248 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 1986; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FUL Fullerton CA at 4:30 am
- Destination: LGB Long Beach CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from LGB, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.