Cessna 182Q accident near Essex, California, January 7, 1987
On January 7, 1987 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Cessna 182Q, registered N28MB, was destroyed in an accident near Essex, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. 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
- January 7, 1987 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Essex, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182Q · all 182Qs on the register
- Registration
- N28MB · registry record · serial 18265566
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
UPON REACHING HIS DESTINATION THE PILOT DESCENDED TO MAKE A MESSAGE DROP. HE SELECTED A FLIGHT PATH THAT WAS PERPENDICULAR TO A 55 FOOT TALL, UNMARKED, ELECTRICAL POWER LINE. DURING THE LOW PASS FOR THE DROP THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE ELECTRICAL WIRES. THE AIRCRAFT THEN DESCENDED INTO A GROUP OF RAILROAD SIGNAL AND ELECTRICAL WIRES BEFORE COLLIDING WITH THE GROUND.
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
- Flight time: 500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,660 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 17, 1986; 120 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: L70 Agua Dulce CA at 5:20 pm
- Destination: Essex CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 3,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.