Cessna 182B accident near La Jolla, California, August 30, 1986
On August 30, 1986 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 182B, registered N2710G, was destroyed in an accident near La Jolla, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- August 30, 1986 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- La Jolla, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182B · all 182Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2710G · no longer on the register · serial 52010
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF A CESSNA 182 DITCHED INTO THE OCEAN AFTER EXPERIENCING A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE WEATHER WAS INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS IN THE AREA. THE PILOT INDICATED THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED LESS THAN 1/4 OF FUEL ON THE RIGHT TANK AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PILOT WAS SURE HE HAD 1 HOUR AND 45 MINUTES OF FUEL AT DEPARTURE TIME. THE FLIGHT TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 34 MINUTES. THE ACFT WAS NOT RECOVERED.
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
- Flight time: 633 hours in all; 380 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,352 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, May 28, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,620 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OCN Oceanside CA at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:47 pm from CRO
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.