Cessna 172P accident near Cuyama, California, January 31, 1987
On January 31, 1987 at about 2:19 am local time, a Cessna 172P, registered N62127, was destroyed in an accident near Cuyama, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- January 31, 1987 · about 2:19 am local time
- Place
- Cuyama, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172P · all 172Ps on the register
- Registration
- N62127 · no longer on the register · serial 17275216
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RCVD A PREFLT BRIEFING BEFORE A MORNING DEP FM MONTEREY. AT THAT TIME, THE FORECAST WAS FOR 3000' TO 5000' BROKEN CLOUDS WITH WIDELY SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS BY 1600 & WITH A GEN OUTLOOK OF VFR. THE PLT FLEW TO SANTA BARBARA TO ATTEND A MEETING & DEPD SANTA BARBARA AT 1709 FOR THE RTRN TRIP W/O OBTAINING A PREFLT WX BRIEFING. WHEN THE ACFT DEPD ON THE NGT X-COUNTRY FLT, WX CONDS EN ROUTE WERE 2500' TO 5000' BROKEN TO OVERCAST WITH TOPS RPRTD TO 8500' & FLT PRE- CAUTIONS FOR MTN OBSCUREMENT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT IMPACTED RISING TERRAIN NEAR THE TOP OF A HILL AT AN ELEV OF APRX 2700' MSL. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE ACFT WAS IN LVL FLT WHEN THE ACDNT OCCURRED. IMPACT WAS APRX 200 YDS FROM A 2-LANE HIWAY. PERSONS IN THE AREA RPRTD THE WX CONDS CONSISTED OF A LOW OVERCAST, VIS APRX 1/2 MI WITH FOG & LGT RAIN. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WERE EVIDENT.
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: 181 hours in all; 9 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 131 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 572 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 17, 1986; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Monterey Flyers, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SBA Santa Barbara CA at 1:09 am
- Destination: MTY Monterey CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.