Cessna 182R accident near Avenal, California, March 16, 1987
On March 16, 1987 at about 3:33 am local time, a Cessna 182R, registered N3143E, was destroyed in an accident near Avenal, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- March 16, 1987 · about 3:33 am local time
- Place
- Avenal, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182R · all 182Rs on the register
- Registration
- N3143E · registry record · serial 18268235
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT, WITH SUSPENDED COMMERICAL PRIVILEGES & NO CURRENT MEDICAL CERT, BORROWED HIS PARENTS ACFT. WHILE FLYING ALONG AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINES & CRASHED. INITIAL IMPACT OCCURRED AT ABOUT 115' AGL. THE PLT HAD BEEN DENIED A MEDICAL CERT BECAUSE OF ALCOHOLISM. THE CORONER RPRTD HE HAD A BLOOD/ALCOHOL LVL OF 0.25%.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,345 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 28, 1986; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-U (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: VIS Visalia CA at 3:04 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 360° at 2 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from NLC, 17 miles away
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.