Cessna 180J accident near Newhall, California, February 15, 1987
On February 15, 1987 at about 5:20 pm local time, a Cessna 180J, registered N52184, was destroyed in an accident near Newhall, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- February 15, 1987 · about 5:20 pm local time
- Place
- Newhall, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180J · all 180Js on the register
- Registration
- N52184 · no longer on the register · serial 18052542
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BASED ON AVAILABLE EVIDENCE, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED BETWEEN 0700 AND 0830 HRS DURING A PERIOD OF LOW CEILINGS AND RESTRICTED VISIBILITIES IN THE AREA WHERE THE ACCD TOOK PLACE. THE ACCD SITE IS LOCATED IN A MOUNTAIN PASS AREA BETWEEN TWO VALLEYS. THE DEPT POINT, TIME, ROUTE OF FLT, AND DEST OF THE FLT ARE UNK. A WHITE POWDERY SUBSTANCE, LATER IDENTIFIED AS METHAMPHETIMINE, WAS FOUND WIDELY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE CABIN AREA AND THE SORROUNDING GROUND AT THE ACCD SITE. EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THAT THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE 46 DEGREE SLOPE OF THE MOUNTAIN IN A HIGH SPEED DESCENT AT AN ANGLE OF ABT 45 DEGREES NOSE DOWN. NO PREIMPACT MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES WERE IDENTIFIED DURING THE INVESTIGATION. THE ACFT HAD NOT HAD AN ANNUAL INSPECTION IN TWO YEARS AND THE LAST DOCUMENTED BFR FOR THE PLT WAS IN AUGUST OF 1983. THE RESULTS OF THE TOXICOLOGICAL TESTS WERE NEGATIVE FOR ALCOHOL AND ALL DRUG SUBSTANCES.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 1,110 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,287 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from VNY, 8 miles away
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.