Piper PA-24-250 accident near Canoga Park, California, December 18, 1985
On December 18, 1985, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N6740P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Canoga Park, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- December 18, 1985
- Place
- Canoga Park, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N6740P · no longer on the register · serial 24-1868
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE THE PLT WAS CRUISIN IN HIS OWN ACFT, AN ENG OIL LEAK DEVELOPED, OIL PRESSURE DECREASED & ENG POWER WAS LOST, THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LDG ON A CITY STREET, ON APPROACH THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH POWER LINES & A FENCE, & THE ACFT CAME TO REST UPSIDE DOWN, EXAM OF THE PARTIALLY OIL COVERED ENG REVEALED THAT AN OIL FLEX HOSE TO THE OIL COOLER HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY WRAPPED WITH A METALLIC-LIKE TAPE. THE HOSE, WHICH WAS OIL-COVERED, HAD A BRITTLE/CRUMBLY APPEARING CORE.
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
- Flight time: 760 hours in all; 410 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 660 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,800 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-A185 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA
- Destination: L16 Huntington CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.